Haida Gwaii: a beautiful archipelago off the West Coast of Canada with a powerful sense of community, heritage, and history.

Written by Lauren-Rose Stunell

In 2025, the Discovering Languages series sets off on a journey across Canada to discover languages (other than English or French) that have a significant presence in different provinces and territories. We start on the West Coast with an Indigenous language native to a special group of islands, Haida Gwaii.

Islands of the People

In English, we say “How are you?” But in Haida, people greet each other with “Sàn uu dáng Gíidang?” (“What is the state of your spirit?”). And in response, you can say “Díi ’láagang” (“My spirit has goodness”). This greeting goes to show the deep-rooted tradition, resilience, and connection to spirit and land in the Haida Nation.

The Haida people are an Indigenous group who reside in a beautiful archipelago of over 150 islands off the coast of British Columbia. This group of islands is called Haida Gwaii, which means “Islands of the People” in the Haida language. Haida Gwaii is a magical place with a strong link to both the land and the ocean through fishing and preserving the beautiful ocean wildlife.

The Haida people have rich traditions around their two clans — Raven and Eagle — which have matriarchal lineage (girl power!). Much like other Indigenous groups, the Haida have faced land and culture loss through colonization. However, the small but mighty islands are still rich with totems, resilience, tradition, and cultural revitalization efforts. Researching Haida Gwaii and the Haida people opens up a whole new perspective on the importance of protecting the ocean landscape and wildlife and learning from the ancestral inhabitants of this land.

A “Language Isolate” but a Strong Community

Haida is one of very few languages that have no ties to any other language. This makes it what is known as a language isolate. The Haida language has two distinct dialects: X̱aayda, the northern dialect, and X̱aad, the southern dialect. Unfortunately, as with many other Indigenous languages in Canada, Haida is currently ranked as critically endangered. However, the resilience of the Haida people is strong and efforts to preserve this unique and special language are underway. The Haida Nation is working collaboratively with linguists to ensure that the effects of residential schools and land loss don’t cause a complete loss of their language as well.

An interesting fact about the Haida language is that it uses no gender words; there is no equivalent to “he” or “she,” creating equality for all speakers. Historians, Haida speakers, and Elders are currently working hard to document oral stories and traditions to ensure that they can continue to be passed down to the generations to come.

Taking the Haida Gwaii Pledge

Activity Description

This activity is designed for students and adult learners of all ages to build respect and understanding of the Haida Gwaii ancestral lands, the Haida people, and their language. The activity asks learners to focus on the Haida values of interconnectedness with the land and spirit and understand the importance of community. Students will understand the importance of balance and respect for all living things. They will achieve this through storytelling, reflection, and art. Students will check in with their own spirit and express their connection to the community and the natural land around the islands of Haida Gwaii.

Introduction

1. To introduce the activity, students could watch The Stories of Canada: British Columbia Haida Gwaii to introduce them to the Haida language and the ancestral territories of the Haida people.
   1. For younger students, the video Raven’s Quest will be more suitable since it follows a 9-year-old girl from Haida Gwaii.
2. Educators may choose to review a map of Haida Gwaii with students in the target language to become situated with the land they are learning about.

Activity Sequence

Materials

If you choose to have students create artwork with the four sentences and new Haida vocabulary provided below, they will need blank paper and art supplies such as pencil crayons and markers.

Discover the Haida Gwaii Pledge

Begin the activity by watching Responsible Travel: Taking the Haida Gwaii Pledge. In the target language, discuss with students what the Haida Gwaii Pledge means for visitors to these islands.

The following Haida ways of being are presented in this video. Although we may not all live on traditional Haida territory, we can learn a lot from these important promises to the land and from Haida ways of being.

1. Gina ’waadluxan gud ad kwaagid (Everything depends on everything else)
2. Yahgudáng (Respect for all beings)
3. Ad kyaanang (Ask permission first)
4. Tll yahda (Making it right)

New Vocabulary

1. Present the following new vocabulary to students in your target language and in Haida. (Use this Haida pronunciation guide to pronounce the words correctly.) Students can use the Neurolinguistic Approach to practice their new words in a sharing circle.
   1. G̱aw (Earth/land)
   2. K’yaa (ocean/sea)
   3. G̱iina (forest/tree)
   4. Duu (river)
   5. Sjuu (wildlife)
   6. Ḵing (respect)
2. Students will create their own environmental stewardship pledge. They will begin by writing the Haida words on their paper in a creative way. Younger students can express their learning through artwork, and older students can showcase their sentence building skills in the target language.
3. Students can reflect on and discuss each new word to better showcase their commitment to Truth and Reconciliation through language. For example, for sjuu (wildlife), students can reflect on how they can protect the wildlife in their area. They can even use sentences such as “I pledge to protect the G̱aw (Earth) by…”
4. To conclude the activity, students can showcase their artwork and their pledges in their school community on a bulletin board or share their pledges in an oral presentation to their peers or colleagues.

Extension

To extend the activity for older students and adult learners, including pre-service teachers, learners can create an environmental stewardship pledge specific to the land on which they reside. The Native Land Digital website provides an interactive map to better understand the land on which you reside and the ancestral inhabitants of that land.