Skedans North Coast Regional District, British Columbia

Locality - A named place or area, generally with a scattered population of 50 or less. NE side of Louise Island, off E side of Moresby Island, Queen Charlotte Land District

Mapped Location

Skedans: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

 

Information

General information on Skedans

  • Feature Type: Place

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Skedans

A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named

Name Description
Skedans Official

 

Origin Notes and History of Skedans

References to Skedans that document the origin of its place name

Skedans (village) adopted 7 October 1948 on C.3894, as identified on 1926 names list for C.324 but not adopted at the time. Identified as Skedans (locality) in 1953 BC Gazetteer.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

"This was an important Haida town of the Kagials-kegawai family, abandoned since 1910 but several house poles still stand. Skedans is a corruption of Gidansta, the name of its chief, according to advice from his daughter." (Handbook of the Indians of Canada, Geographic Board of Canada, 1912, p 433). "This is an abandoned Haida settlement which is of significant historical importance, and should be shown on maps." (Wilson Duff, anthropologist, Provincial Museum.)

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
included with note  |  Province of British Columbia

The Haida called the village here Qoona or K'uuna, meaning "Grizzly-Bear-Town"; the Europeans named it Skedans, a corruption of the name of its chief, Gidansta. K'uuna is situated on the eastern tip of Louise Island and faces south onto Skedans Bay from one of two crescent beaches bordering a small peninsula. In the mid-1800s almost 450 Haida lived here in about 26 longhouses. An 1878 survey shows record of 56 pieces of monumental sculpture, including frontal poles, single and double mortuary poles, memorial poles and mortuary figures. It was on K'uuna that, after her visit in 1907, Victoria artist Emily Carr based her paintings of the poles of Koon. Through most of the sculptures have now returned to the earth or been removed, K'uuna is one of the few remaining village sites with standing totem poles as well as remnants of large longhouses. A path winding through the old village allows you to wander through the site and appreciate the artistry of the poles now in varying stages of decay, and to try to capture the essence of what life may have been like there many years ago. As the most northerly of the five Watchmen camps, its accessibility makes it one of the most highly visited sites. The watchmen cabin is located beyond the village facing onto the opposite side of the peninsula. (Information from Parks Canada internet site, 1999)

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
included with note  |  Province of British Columbia

Identified as "K'uuna llnagaay" in description of Haida Watchmen responsibilities (Canadian Geographic Magazine, March 2007)

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
included with note  |  Province of British Columbia

 

North Coast Regional District

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-09-27