SACRED ISLANDS OF BEAUTY
I was a mere 10 feet from shore, so close to our small boat, but felt as if I had been swallowed whole by the rainforest, in the best way possible. Blinking, my eyes could see only shades of green all around me, everything covered by a thick layer of moss, as if spray painted by nature’s vandals.
Just a few steps away, through a curtain of ancient branches, salmon were splashing their way up a waterfall, fighting with all of their might to return up the river to spawn.
Out in Echo Bay, silky black seal heads bobbed up and down on the water, eyes on the persistent salmon, perhaps scoping out their next meal, content from the marine bounty around them. The sun lit up the water, smooth glass, broken only by schools of hundreds of fish splashing near the surface.
But here in the forest, I looked down, bouncing on my toes a few times, surveying how much the delicate forest floor flexed under my weight, feeling cradled by thick moss, tree roots and rotting nurse logs. Although I could fall through the fragile ground at any moment, I walked on, curious to see what would be around the next bend. This was Haida Gwaii, and her majesty was intoxicating.
This particular place, located in the heart of B.C.’s Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, was such a contrast from the day before. There, in the village of Skidegate, hundreds of members of the community and visitors alike had gathered to raise a Unity totem pole above the beach, reclaiming a tradition thousands of years old.
All those in attendance held onto ropes, pulling with all of their strength to raise the 16-metre red cedar pole into place, then throwing stones into the three-metre pit, sealing it into the ground. The raising of the pole, which took months to carve by hand and represented all clans of Haida Gwaii, was a huge occasion. A traditional potlatch feast followed, with hundreds in attendance, including local elders, chiefs, visitors and guests. The spread was a plentiful, true West Coast buffet including salmon, ling cod, herring roe and fry bread.
But back here, in the serenity of Gwaii Haanas, meaning “Islands of Beauty,” our boat and a lone paddleboarder were the only human connection within sight, where waterways are often populated more by whales than vessels, and where anything made by man is eventually swallowed back up by the forest.
Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, has been home to the Haida people for more than 12,000 years, and her history has shifted and shaped dramatically over the past 150 years.
The arrival of the Europeans, the logging industry and the introduction of new species changed the landscape and nearly decimated the Haida population (by upwards of 95 per cent). But today, thanks to the protection of land, marine and wildlife, Haida Gwaii has reclaimed its name as a sacred place of beauty and history.
Situated more than 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver, Haida Gwaii is perched south of Alaska, north of Vancouver Island, and to the west of Prince Rupert, which offers ferry service multiple days a week. Regularly scheduled air service is offered to Masset, at the far north end of Haida Gwaii, and Sandspit, closer to the villages of Queen Charlotte and Skidegate.
The archipelago is home to more than 150 islands, making many parts of the region accessible only by plane or boat. Even landing at the Sandspit airport requires a ferry to Graham Island, which is home to Masset, Queen Charlotte and Skidegate, and most of the population of Haida Gwaii, which totals around 4,000 people.
The Haida have a saying: “Everything depends on everything else.” It couldn’t ring more true for a place that is home to so many contrasts, in its nature and history. Her coastlines are wild, with swells on the Hecate Strait reaching more than 17 metres during stormy weather, but on a sunny day the water surrounding the islands can be as calm as a lake.
Her forests are a wily tangle of skyreaching Sitka spruce, mighty red cedar, succulent berries and damp undergrowth, but the moss that covers it all is like a warm green blanket, thick and soft and protecting. Above, the wingspans of majestic bald eagles and ravens outnumber the seagulls on shore. This place is real, but there’s something otherworldly about it.
Queen Charlotte is the perfect launch pad for visits into the heritage site, a protected area established in 1988 after a protest between the Haida people and resident loggers, in a bid to save their land.
Today, the national reserve is popular for day visitors, sailors and multiday sea kayaking trips. The area was once home to more than 600 Haida settlements, but today only a few sites remain. These sacred spaces are home to five Haida Watchmen sites, who live on the land, and offer interpretive tours of the sites, which include aging totem poles, longhouse beams and pits and other artifacts. All those visiting the national reserve independently must participate in an orientation session hosted by Parks Canada, who help travellers plan their trip and ensure the safe protection of the area.