Haida Gwaii sits 80 kilometers off the British Columbia coast, close enough to see on clear days, far enough to evolve separately. The islands - renamed from the colonial 'Queen Charlotte' in 2010 - have been Haida territory for at least 13,000 years, supporting a civilization famous for its art, seafaring, and monumental architecture. Then smallpox arrived. Between 1862 and 1885, epidemics killed 90% of the Haida, leaving villages abandoned, totem poles crumbling into rainforest, and survivors concentrated in two remaining communities. The islands have recovered in population if not in glory; the art survives in museums; the rainforest has reclaimed the abandoned villages. Haida Gwaii is British Columbia's Galapagos - isolated, evolved, haunted by what was lost.
Haida Gwaii comprises over 150 islands at the edge of the continental shelf, separated from mainland British Columbia by Hecate Strait. The islands escaped the last glaciation's full effects, preserving biological diversity that evolved differently from the mainland. The Haida Gwaii black bear is a distinct subspecies; the Haida Gwaii goshawk may be a separate species; plants and insects have evolved island forms. The isolation that created biological distinctiveness also created cultural distinctiveness - the Haida developed traditions found nowhere else, adapted precisely to this place.
The Haida were among the Northwest Coast's most powerful peoples - seafarers who raided as far south as California, artists who created totem poles, canoes, and masks that Europeans would later collect obsessively. Their villages clustered along the islands' coasts, each dominated by massive cedar longhouses fronted by totem poles proclaiming lineage and status. Population estimates before contact range from 10,000 to 30,000. The arrival of smallpox in 1862 triggered a catastrophe; by 1885, fewer than 600 Haida survived. Entire villages died; the survivors consolidated into Massett and Skidegate.
SGang Gwaay (Ninstints), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, preserves what epidemics left behind. Totem poles stand among mossy forest, slowly falling, returning to the earth that grew the cedar from which they were carved. The site is difficult to visit - accessible only by boat or floatplane, with visits controlled by Haida Watchmen - but it represents what smallpox did more powerfully than any statistics. These poles were carved by people who expected their children to maintain them. Their children died. The poles fell. The rainforest reclaimed what had been cleared.
The Haida did not disappear. From the few hundred survivors, the population has grown to over 5,000, with strong cultural revitalization movements. Bill Reid's art brought Haida design to international attention; contemporary carvers continue creating totem poles and canoes. The Council of the Haida Nation shares governance with British Columbia and Canada over Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, a model for Indigenous co-management. The islands are reclaiming their Haida name; the culture is reclaiming its future. What was nearly lost is being rebuilt.
Haida Gwaii is accessible by ferry from Prince Rupert (8 hours) or by air from Vancouver or Prince Rupert. The islands have two main communities: Massett (north) and Queen Charlotte/Skidegate (south). Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve protects the southern archipelago; visits require orientation and registration. SGang Gwaay (Ninstints) is accessible by boat or floatplane with Haida guides - a powerful, difficult experience. The Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay interprets Haida culture and history. Kayaking, fishing, and rainforest hiking are primary activities. Lodging is limited; book ahead for summer. Weather is wet year-round. Respect for Haida culture is expected and enforced.
Located at 53.25°N, 132.07°W off the British Columbia coast. From altitude, Haida Gwaii appears as a chain of mountainous, forested islands surrounded by open Pacific waters. The terrain is rugged: mountains rising from the sea, old-growth rainforest covering everything below treeline. Graham Island (north) has the main communities; Moresby Island and the southern archipelago are largely protected wilderness. Hecate Strait separates the islands from the mainland. The isolation is apparent from any altitude - 80+ kilometers of open water to the nearest point on the continent. These islands evolved differently because they are separate; their culture developed differently for the same reason.