Gwaii Haanas
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All that remains
A pit in the ground and two giant western red cedar beams are all that remains of the ~30 longhouses at the village of K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans). A panoramic photo of Skedans by the early photographer George Dawson in 1878 shows large numbers of frontal poles (large totem poles containing the round front entry of longhouses), mortuary poles and memorial poles, and they are also featured in several pieces of art from ~1912 by the famous Canadian artist, Emily Carr.
The remains of more than 50 pieces of monumental sculpture can be seen here and, even though they are carved from rot-resistant cedar, they last only about a hundred years before they begin to disintegrate. The disintegration is recognized by the Haida culture as a natural part of a pole’s life cycle.
house beamslonghouse remainsHaidaWestern red cedar beamspit houseforestdisintegrationgrassK'uuna LlnagaaySkedansLouise IslandHaida GwaiiGwaii HaanasQueen Charlotte IslandsBritish Columbia
