Old Massett () is a reserve on

Graham Island Graham Island () is the largest island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago (previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), lying off the mainland coast of British Columbia, Canada. It is separated by the narrow Skidegate Channel from the other pr ...

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; / , literally "Islands of the Haida people"), previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago located between off the British Columbia Coast, northern Pacific coast in the Canadian province of British Columbia ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. It lies on the east side of Masset Sound close to the town of

Masset Masset (; formerly Massett) is a village in the Haida Gwaii archipelago in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Masset Sound on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainl ...

; the area of land it is on is legally designated Masset Indian Reserve No. 1, or Masset 1. The original name of the settlement was Uttewas, meaning "white-slope village" in the

Haida language Haida (', ', ', ') is the language of the Haida people, spoken in the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the coast of western Canada and on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. An endangered language, Haida currently has 24 native speakers, though revit ...

. It is populated by

Haida people The Haida (, , , , ) are an Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. They constitute one of 203 First Nations in British Columbia and 231 federally recognized List of Alaska Native tribal entities, tribes in Alaska. T ...

of both Ḵuustak, the Eagle matrilineage, and Ḵayx̱al, the Raven matrilineage. The town is administered by the

Old Massett Village Council Old Massett Village Council (OMVC; ) is a band government of the Haida people, Haida people, located in Old Massett, on Haida Gwaii. Old Massett Village Council is one of two Canadian band governments for the Haida Nation, the other being Skidega ...

. Its population has fluctuated over the last one hundred and fifty years; smallpox, especially the

1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic The 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic was a smallpox outbreak that started in Victoria on Vancouver Island and spread among the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and into the indigenous peoples of the Northwest Plateau, ki ...

, drastically reduced its numbers in the late 1800s, but in 1968, it had over 1,000 people and was the largest village in Haida Gwaii. In 2009, the Village Council counted 2,698 band members in the area; the 2021 census counted 475 living at the Old Massett townsite.

History

Indian Reserve Masset 1 was allotted by reserve commissioner Peter O'Reilly in July 1882, in his visit to

. He chose to create a single reserve from the two villages, Uttewas and Kayung, the latter of which he describes as being nearly abandoned. This reserve would measure about 770 acres, not including the land owned by the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

and the

Church Mission Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...

Culture

Old Massett is home to a number of

totem pole Totem poles () are monumental carvings found in western Canada and the northwestern United States. They are a type of Northwest Coast art, consisting of poles, posts or pillars, carved with symbols or figures. They are usually made from large t ...

s: *''Chief Matthews pole'' by Reg Davidson *''Geoffrey White Memorial pole'' by Christian White * ''Medicine pole'' by Christian White *''Morris White pole'' by Christian White *''Skilay (Ernie Collison)'' by Jim Hart *''Family Center pole'' by Vernon White *''New Town poles'' by Todd and Derek White *''Hospital poles'' by Jordan Seward and Cooper Wilson *''Old Massett poles'' by Donnie Edenshaw and Jaalen Edenshaw *''Playing field poles'' by Lawrence Bell *''Morris White memorial pole'' by Jim Hart and Christian White *''St John's Church pole'' by Robert Davidson *''Amanda Edgar's memorial pole'' by Paul White *''Sharkhouse pole'' by Reg Davidson *''gyaaGang Monumental pole'' by Kilthguulans Christian White File:Village_of_Masset.jpg File:PSM_V53_D175_Street_in_masset_queen_charlotte_islands.jpg File:Post_card._Main_street%2C_Masset_(Native_village)_B.C._-_NARA_-_297790.jpg File:PSM_V53_D178_Tattooed_haida_of_masset.jpg File:PSM_V53_D177_Haida_woman_of_masset_weaving_a_basket.jpg File:Masset,_British_Columbia_(S71-3612).jpg File:Masset_village,_British_Columbia_(259).jpg#/media/File%3AMasset_village%2C_British_Columbia_(259)_(cropped).jpg File:PSM_V53_D179_Ancient_house_of_chief_weha_in_masset.jpg File:Interior_of_Chief_Wiah%27s_house,_Masset.jpg

Popular culture

Some Old Massett artists star on the

Knowledge Network Knowledge Network, also branded as British Columbia's Knowledge Network and K:, is a Canadian publicly funded educational cable television network serving the province of British Columbia. It is owned by the Knowledge Network Corporation, a Crow ...

television series ''Ravens and Eagles''.

References

External links

{{Commons category
Language notes
First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia Haida villages Indian reserves in Haida Gwaii

History

Culture

Popular culture

See also

References

External links