SGang Gwaay, Canada

SGang Gwaay
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Haida_villagesite.jpg
Author: Grizzly01en


SGang Gwaay is the Native American village of the Haida people on Queen Charlotte Island, Canada, where the remains of long houses and carved mortuary and memorial poles still stand. The site, within the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site, commemorate the culture of the Haida people who lived on fishing and hunting there. The site is about 130 kilometers off the coast of British Columbia, and comprises an archipelago of 138 islands, the largest of which is Moresby Island.

SGang Gwaay was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 5th session of the World Heritage Committee which met in Sydney, Australia, on 26-30 October, 1981.

Efforts to protect Gwaii Haanas came about in 1981, following plans to expand logging areas. This led to the establishment of the Haida Heritage Site in 1985. In 1993, the Canadian Government signed the Gwaii Haanas Agreement with the Haida tribe. This binds both parties to a mutual commitment in protecting Gwaii Haanas.

Today the Haida village on the eastern side of Anthony Island, called SGang Gwaay Llnaagay, is a showcase of Haida tradition and culture. Here, visitors can see totem poles of the Haida people and remains of their cedar longhouses. The Haida station watchmen at the village to act as guardians.

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 52 5 42 W 131 13 13 in the Province of British Columbia, Canada
Inscription Year: 1981
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: III

Visiting SGang Gwaay

There are no roads or stores at Gwaii Haanas National Park. Getting in is limited to boats and floatplanes, and subject to prevailing weather conditions. You should contact the Haida Heritage Centre (www.haidaheritagecentre.com) for more details.

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.