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The Haida make boats, boxes, totem poles, masks, and many other objects of art and utility from the wood of the coastal forest: Western Redcedar, Nootka Cypress, Western Hemlock and Sitka Spruce. While most folks made art, the grandest pieces were made by gifted artists who were well compensated for their work. The carving and painting followed sophisticated rules of design. Bill Holm has made a scholarly analysis of formline design.
The people used a ceremony called potlatch to mark important life events and to redistribute wealth. A capable man was much admired for being willing to offer a feast, give away much wealth, and then start again to accumulate wealth. For some decades, the potlatch was opposed by the Anglo-European missionaries and lawmen, but today the people can potlatch legally (see gift economyA gift economy is an economic system in which participants give away things of value to the shared benefit of the community. Gift economies in the form of communal sharing of food were and are almost universally practiced among ancient and modern hunter-g).
The Haida are known for their intricate weavings, hammered copper pieces, great canoes that travelled hundreds of miles, and legends of heroic times.
One of the Haida's sacred symbols is Kiidk'yaasKiidk'yaas or Kiid K'iyaas ("ancient tree") was a Sitka Spruce tree, Picea sitchensis 'Aurea', that grew on the banks of the Yakoun River in Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia. It had a rare genetic mutation causing its needles to be, a Sitka Spruce tree with a rare mutation causing its needles to be golden in colour. The tree stood on the Yakoun River in Haida Gwaii until it was surreptitiously cut down in 19971997 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Reef''. Events January January 3 NBC's Today Show Bryant Gumbel signs off for the last time January 8 Mister Rogers receives a star on t, causing great consternation in the Haida community. However, twenty years previous, cuttings had been taken from the tree for the University of British ColumbiaThe University of British Columbia UBC is located on Point Grey in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Located just 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver, the university is near several beaches and has views of the local mountains. 63 km˛ Pacific Spirit Reg arboretum, and the University donated one of the resulting trees to the Haida. Parts of the original felled Kiidk'yaas were also replanted.