Haida Gwaii, Queen Charlotte Islands: Land of Mountains, Mist, and Myth

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University. She is the author of several books, including The
Mountain Is Moving: Japanese Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret
Laurence: The Long Journey Home.

In Haida Gwaii, each of the full-colour photographs has its own brief
text. These are thoughtful and frequently poetic, such as the following:
“Walking through the rainforests—where the trees soar high into the
sky—one feels a sense of timelessness in the stillness and silence.”
Each brief comment accompanies and complements each photo, and together
they constitute a significant text. Editor Andrew Merilees first
experienced the Queen Charlotte Islands almost 25 years ago during a
memorable, two-week natural history field trip that would affect the
rest of his life. Currently, he is a resident in the rugged wilderness
that rewards anyone who dares to explore it.

The Haida people began inhabiting these islands “possibly as far back
as 13,000 years ago,” Merilees notes. They were seafarers and traders.
When Europeans, in the late 18th century, recognized the value of the
abundant sea otter pelts, they set up trading alliances with the local
people. Each pelt was worth a small fortune in Europe and China. Greed
on all sides led to the extinction of the sea otter from waters around
the islands, and missionaries filled the void left by traders. After
World War I, returning veterans were given large land grants. Farmers
failed to do well, but the fishermen prospered. In 2005, the Haida Gwaii
Islands were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one with well-preserved
totems in a natural setting. The current inhabitants recognize that
their economic future is linked to and dependent upon their protecting
the environment and the beauty of the landscape.

George Fischer’s photographs splendidly “capture that sense of
enchantment, exploring the unique connection between nature and culture
that defines island life.” Merilees’s excellent introduction covers
geography and topography, a brief history of the Haida people, their
contacts and trade with European peoples, and the current situation with
seven communities on the islands. These are concentrated almost
exclusively on Graham Island, with the exception of Sandspit on the
north side of Moresby Island. Sandspit is connected to the other island
communities by a short ferry crossing that connects to the Yellowhead
Highway 16. Merilees’s introduction orients the reader/viewer and
permits a fuller enjoyment of Fischer’s striking photographs.