A bibliography of the Haida language

Abstract

Haida was originally spoken in the Queen Charlotte Islands, a group of some 200 islands situated off the western coast of British Columbia. The islands are separated from the mainland by a channel varying from 30 to 60 miles in width, known as the Hecate Straits.A smaller group of Haida settlements was located to the immediate northeast of the Queen Charlottes, across Dixon’s Entrance. These were situated principally on Dall Island and in the southern portions of Prince of Wales Island in what is now Alaska. Apparently, a small band of several hundred Haidas had migrated from the northwestern portion of the Queen Charlotte group, possibly from Langara Island. The move was relatively recent, having taken place some 250 years ago, before the first European contacts. Several villages were established, but these were largely abandoned in favor of the newly laid-out Hydaburg after 1912.