H a i d a • H i s t o r y

In the early 19th century the aboriginal Haida population was about 8,000 on the Queen Charlotte Islands and 1,800 in Alaska. In the 1890s they numbered fewer than 1,500 as the result of disease through Western contact. During this appalling population decline, Queen Charlotte Islands survivors assembled in multiclan villages, of which two remain, Masset and Skidegate.

The Haidas of Alaska traditionally lived in villages on the west coast of Prince of Wales Island and one village on the island's east coast, Kasaan. In 1911, with the encouragement and support of the U.S. government and the Presbyterian Church, three west coast Haida villages – Howkan, Klinkwan and Sukkwan – consolidated at Hydaburg. Today, Hydaburg and Kasaan remain the only Haida villages in Alaska.

In the mid-1980s, the total Haida population was about 2,000.

H i s t o r i c • B a c k g r o u n d • o f
K a s a a n • V i l l a g e • & • i t s • P e o p l e

Only two Alaskan Haida villages remain today – Hydaburg and (New) Kasaan. The original village of (Old) Kasaan was abandoned in 1902 for the promise of year-round employment and schools at the new location.

At its peak, the population in Kasaan reached 150 in the 1900s. Today, the village population stands at a stable, though low, number (35-45 depending on the season). About one-third to one-half of the population descend from the original Kasaan Haida families. The remaining population consists of non-Natives and Natives who are members of other tribal groups, specifically Tlingit and Aleut.

Currently, we have seven Kasaan Haida elders – all aged 75 and older. They live in Kasaan, Ketchikan and Seattle. They speak some Haida (Kasaan dialect) with varying degrees of fluency.

C r i t i c a l • I s s u e s • o f • H i s t o r i c • P r e s e r v a t i o n

Relatively little comprehensive information exists regarding either the Kasaan Haida, or Kasaan village area history. The largest and most consolidated source of information comes from a 167+ page compilation of interviews collected in June 1971 by Andrea Laforet and published as Kasaan Cultural Heritage Project as part of a Historic Preservation project sponsored by National Parks. The three elders interviewed have long since passed away.

At that time, the recommendation was to do more work in this area. However, not until recently have the people actively committed to a consistent and focused effort to document and preserve what remains of our Haida culture, history and language.

In recognition of the urgent need for action, Board Members of Kavilco formed Kasaan Haida Heritage Foundation (KHHF), a non-profit entity, with the mission to document, preserve and promote those things that make the Kasaan Haidas unique.

Chief Skowal • Chief Son-I-Hat • Historical Photos • Joint Project