Raven, the spirited trickster, became bored with flying above the endless sea in the darkness of perpetual night. He looked skyward and saw glimmering specks of light amid the blackness. Curious, he flew higher to explore. And when he returned, he was carrying a large ball of fire which he had stolen from the sky. According to Haida Indian mythology, Raven had stolen the sun. Its light brought forth creatures from the sea.
Raven continued to fly, fascinated by the sights and sounds below. One day he saw a giant clamshell which made strange noises. After much coaxing, Raven convinced the shy creatures inside to leave the shell. These proved to be the first Haida human beings. They would not be the last.
This research examines the changes in culture experienced by the Haida Indians along the northwest coast through the perspectives of several ethnographers. The study will focus on one dominant cultural trait in particular-the cultural value of achievement. Achievement as an emphasis of study was chosen because it guides an entire value system that affects the core structure of Haida culture. The impact of this value of achievement will be documented for traditional Haida culture and its evolving role in contemporary Haida society will be charted.
The Haida are the native people living primarily on the Queen Charlotte Islands off the mainland coast of British Columbia. There is also a group that migrated to southeastern Alaska sometime in the 18th century. "Haida" is an English conversion of the original non-English word "xaadaa," which means -the people" in the Haida language. The Queen Charlotte Islands are "Xaadaa Gwaay," meaning "islands of the people."
The Haida language is very unique; it has little in common with the Tlingit and Athapascan languages. The Haida language itself is divided into two major dialects. One dialect is Masset Haida spoken mostly on the north coast of Graham Island and at Hyda...