Historic Site of Tanu




Pretty Scenery on the way to Tanu

 

Spirit Quest and Got d’ Fever departed from Thurston Harbour on Talunkwan Island for the one-hour journey to the historic village site of Tanu (T’aanuu Llnagaay) on Tanu Island.  At one time there were 25-40 longhouses at Tanu along with 31 mortuary poles and 15 mortuary houses, the village was abandoned in 1887.  

Village Site of Tanu

Today all that is left are moss covered poles, house posts, and house depressions so we weren’t expecting much from this visit.  As it turned out, this site was well worth the stop thanks to Shawn, the Watchman and tour guide who fascinated us with a wealth of information.  He has a degree in anthropology and is the descendent of a line of chief’s within his family.  In the 1860’s, seventy-five percent of the Natives in Haida Gwaii died of diseases brought by the Europeans.  The Native population of Haida Gwaii went from 20-30,000 down to 500, and still fewer were left by 1900, those who survived moved elsewhere out of necessity.  

Pit Longhouse of Eagle Clan Chief

During the late 1800’s, the Missionaries who came to Tanu, wanted to take the 100 bodies which had been placed in bentwood boxes in mortuary poles and bury them in the ground.  This was a clash of cultures, since the Haida believed the body should be above the ground, not in the ground where evil spirits resided.  Under pressure, the Natives eventually took the advice of the missionaries.  

Moss Covered Memorial Pole

The missionaries included the Methodist, Anglican, and Presbyterian who were sometimes at odds with each other over power and control.  In the early 1900’s, many of the carved poles were taken to be presented at world fairs, such as the 1904 Chicago World’s Fair; thus Haida carvings are found displayed in other countries around the world and in private collections.  The Natives made claim that it was an illegal bill of sale while those who took the items claimed the villages had been abandoned.  Emily Carr, the famous painter, had come to paint many of the totems in Skedans and Tanu.  The back of poles were often carved out in a half circle which actually made them more ridged and stronger, preventing the wind from circling around the pole and knocking them over.  

Roof Beams of a Longhouse

As Shawn walked us through the forest, we could clearly see that Tanu had been a large village with numerous longhouses.  Tribe members or commoners had flat bottom constructed longhouses, while wealthier chiefs who hosted potlatches had pit longhouses.  We saw evidence of two large pit longhouses at Tanu having belonged to an Eagle chief and a Raven chief.  Strong Yellow Cedar was used for roof beams and corner posts which also helped repel bugs.  

A Roof Beam becomes a Nurse Log

Being chief of a village was very onerous, it was the chief’s responsibility to make sure that everyone was provided for.  Unlike the movies, the chief didn’t wear flashy clothes every day; his only distinguishing mark was a walking stick and maybe tattoos worn by those of higher rank.  Trading goods with others was handled by the women who also controlled the politics of trading but that later changed to be more of a male role around the 1800’s.  

Evidence of Many Longhouses at Tanu

Possessing coppers was a sign of wealth and highly prized.  The Haida were sometimes called the Iron People and created copper engravings by cold forge of copper nuggets.  These nuggets would be hammered into flat pieces.  Because copper was so highly prized, the Haida would trade sea otter pelts for copper pieces from the Spanish and Russians.  Soon anyone with sea otter pelts could acquire copper along with other items like blankets, pots etc., creating more people with wealth who could hold potlatches.  

At Anchor with Buddy Boat, at Tanu in Laskeek Bay

Through Shawn’s explanations we could see more than just a village of moss covered longhouse pits and totems, and instead see into the daily life of a Haida village; 

Boat Buddy's at Anchor, Tanu

all very fascinating but alas, we had to get back to the boats at anchor and move on to our next stop.