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TheHaida are one of theindigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast ofNorth America. Their national territories lie along the west coast ofCanada and include parts of south eastAlaska.Haida mythology is anindigenous religion that can be described as anature religion, drawing on the natural world, seasonal patterns, events and objects for questions that the Haidapantheon provides explanations for. Haida mythology is also consideredanimistic for the breadth of the Haida pantheon in imbuing daily events withSǥā'na qeda's.
There are innumerable Haida supernatural beings, orSǥā'na qeda's, including prominent animal crests, wind directions, and legendary ancestors.[1]John R. Swanton, while documenting Haida beliefs as part of theJesup North Pacific Expedition recorded that the highest being in all Haida mythology and the one who gave power to theSǥā'na qeda's wasSîns sǥā'naǥwa-i, translated as 'Power-of-the-Shining-Heavens'. Some have the ability to transform between animal and human forms while others do not. In theart creatures can sometimes be found with anthropomorphic features, especially human faces, inside or as part of their bodies denoting this transformative ability.
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Within Haida mythology,Raven is a central character, as he is for many of theIndigenous peoples of the Americas;seeRaven Tales. While frequently described as a "trickster", Haidas believe Raven, orYáahl[2] to be a complex reflection of one's own self. Raven can be a magician, a transformer, a potent creative force, ravenous debaucher but always a cultural hero. He is responsible for creatingHaida Gwaii, releasing the sun from its tiny box and making the stars and the moon.[3][4] In one story he released the first humans from a clamshell on the beach; in another story, he brought the first humans up out of the ground because he needed to fill up a party he was throwing. Raven stories on one level teach listeners how to live a good life, but usually by counterexample. Raven has been described as the greediest, mostlecherous andmischievous creature known to the Haida, but at the same time Raven often helps humans in our encounters with othersupernatural beings. Raven acquired such things as freshwater,salmon and the house for humans.Robert Bringhurst has noted that Raven never actually creates anything; he made the world by stealing, exchanging, redistributing, and generally moving things around.
Ta'xet andTia are death gods among the Haida.Ta'xet rules violent death, whileTia rules peaceful death.Dzalarhons, a woman associated withfrogs andvolcanoes, and her husband,Kaiti (bear god), arrived at the homeland of the Haida from thePacific Ocean along with sixcanoes full of people.Gyhldeptis is a kindly forest goddess.Lagua is an invisible spirit who helped the Haida discover the uses ofiron.Shamans could speak withLagua's voice by clenching their teeth.[citation needed]
Some of the mythology has been collected by poetAnne Cameron, who created interpretations for adults and children. Epic versions of the mythology by 19th century Haida storyteller-poetsSkaay and Ghandl have been translated byRobert Bringhurst, whoseStory as Sharp as a Knife, a collection of their works, won theGovernor General's Award. His translations, though, are controversial in Haida circles and some have charged him withcultural appropriation.[citation needed]
Robert Davidson has incorporatedXe-ū', Southeast Wind, in a variety of media including a 2002serigraph print,[5] as the solitary being in a 2010totem pole,[6] and as the main being on a 2015cedar panel.[7] As recently as 2019 Davidson released a serigraph print titledSupernatural Beings showing five unnamedSǥā'na qeda'sinscribed within aChilkat robe.[8]
In 2019,Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, alongside her stepdaughter Sara Florence Davidson, published a children's book titledMagical Beings of Haida Gwaii, which features ten supernatural beings of ancient Haida storytelling and presents them in a visual medium. The book engages children and teaches them empowering and meaningful examples of living in balance with nature.[9][10]