Stepping Back In Time in SGang Gwaay
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Today, guests aboard Outer Shores Expeditions’ Passing Cloud had an ethereal day as we explored one of the most beautiful locations in British Columbia, Canada: Haida Gwaii’s Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site.
Visitors to SGang Gwaay enter from the rear of the village, along an ethereal pathway. Photo © 2014 Aaron Saunders
Early this morning, we visited the ancient Haida village of SGang Gwaay(skung-why). The rain fell fast and furious as we tendered ashore in Passing Cloud’s Zodiac raft, and we had to dress in full rain gear for the first time on this trip. Here in Haida Gwaii, that means full rain jackets, rain pants, and rubber boots. I had brought a rain jacket with me, but had left my rain pants at home, stupidly believing I would not need them. Fortunately, the crew of the Passing Cloud had a ‘loaner pair’ of forest green Helly Hansen’s for me.
Even here, the forest itself is other-worldly. Photo © 2014 Aaron Saunders
SGang Gwaay is also known as Ninstints in English. Usually, European English names for manly locales in Haida Gwaii were a bastardization of the local Chief’s name, typically spelled incorrectly or simply typed out phonetically. Complicating matters was that up until the late 1990’s, the Haida had no official written language; Haida history was passed down from generation to generation orally, through d
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