Skedans, also known variously as Koona, Q'una, Koona LLnaagay, K'uuna Llnagaay, Q!o'na Inaga'-I, Q:o'na, and Ḵ'uuna Llnagaay which are variants of its traditional name in the

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

, is a village located at the head of

Cumshewa Inlet Cumshewa Inlet (), also recorded or referred to in exploration logs as Cumchewas Harbour and Tooscondolth Sound, is a large inlet on the east coast of Moresby Island in the Haida Gwaii islands of the North Coast of British Columbia. The inlet was t ...

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Hec ...

North Coast of British Columbia North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' i ...

, Canada. The name Skedans derived by the practice of captains of the

maritime fur trade The maritime fur trade was a ship-based fur trade system that focused on acquiring furs of sea otters and other animals from the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast and natives of Alaska. The furs were mostly sold in China in e ...

to name villages after their most prominent chiefs. The name Skedans is a rendering of ''Gida'nsta'', a Haida term of respect meaning "from his daughter", which is how the reigning chief of the village, ''Qa'gials qe'gawa-i'', was addressed by children (he is usually known as Chief Skedans). Koona Llnaagay means "Village at the Edge", a reference to the village's location on a small peninsula. Another Haida name for the village, Huadju-lanas or Xu'adji la'nas, means "Grizzly-Bear-Town", a reference to the large number of portrayals of

grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos hor ...

s on the totem poles and other artwork adorning the village. The village site is part of the

Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area, and Haida Heritage Site, usually referred to simply as Gwaii Haanas (), is located in southernmost Haida Gwaii (formerly known as Queen Charlotte Islands), off the mainland ...

and is itself a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...

Skedans village at Laskeek Bay, British Columbia (250)

References

External links

"Skedans", Canadian Museum of Civilization website"K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans, Koona)", Parks Canada website
* Haida villages Archaeological sites in British Columbia Heritage sites in British Columbia National Historic Sites in British Columbia {{FirstNations-stub

See also

References

External links