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Koona (Skedans)
[edit]The village popularly known as Skedans, known to the Haida variously as Koona, Q'una, Koona LLnaagay, K'uuna Llnagaay, Q!o'na Inaga'-I, Q:o'na, and Ḵ'uuna Llnagaay, which are variants of its traditional name in the Haida language, is a village in Haida Gwaii off the North Coast of British Columbia, Canada. Located on a peninsula within Skedans Bay at the northeastern coast of Louise Island[1], the village site is part of the Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site and is itself a National Historic Site of Canada.
Name and Variations
[edit]The village of Koona came to be known as Skedans when Europeans tried to rename the place after chief Gida'nsta but mispronounced his name[2]. Koona Llnaagay means "Village at the Edge", a reference to the village's location on a small peninsula. Another Haida name for the village, Huadju-lanas or Xu'adji la'nas, means "Grizzly-Bear-Town", a reference to the large number of portrayals of grizzly bears on the totem poles and other artwork adorning the village.
European Contact
[edit]Families from both Raven and Eagle clans lived in Koona[2]. The chief Gida'nsta was a Raven, and his longhouse stood in the centre of the village. When photographed by George M. Dawson in 1878[1], of the 27 longhouses, 20 were occupied by Raven families, 6 by Eagle, and 1 was unrecorded[2]. Shortly thereafter, following significant population loss due to disease introduced by European newcomers, the surviving members of the village moved to Skidegate[2].
The 1880s migration from the village brought significant change to the Haida way of life. Oral histories were lost due to the fact that the children meant to inherit them were taken to residential schools. However, stories were recorded by anthropologists who spoke to elders from the village of Koona[2].
Material Expression
[edit]George Dawson's 1878 photographs recorded 56 pieces of monumental sculpture at Koona[1]. There were "twenty-two frontal poles, eighteen single mortuary poles, three double-mortuaries, five memorial poles, and five mortuary figures," (MacDonald 1983, 79)[1]. The house frontal poles stood near to the front entrance of the homes in the village. They displayed the crests of the owners of the house at the bottom of the pole, which communicated their family's social status and lineage[3]. Of the 56 poles, approximately 10 are preserved in museums around the world, and another 10 remain at the village site[2].
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- ^ a b c d MacDonald, George F. (1983). Haida Monumental Art. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. p. 79.
- ^ a b c d e f Smyly, John and Carolyn (1973). Those Born at Koona. Saanichton, British Columbia: Hancock House Publishers. pp. 18–22.
- ^ Smyly, John and Carolyn (1973). Those Born at Koona. Saanichton, British Columbia: Hancock House Publishers. p. 28.