Skidegate


Skidegate is a Haida community in Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the southeast coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Columbia across Hecate Strait.
Skidegate, which is located on Skidegate Indian Reserve No. 1 and was formerly home to the Skidegate Mission is also the northern terminal for the BC Ferries service between Graham Island and Alliford Bay on Moresby Island.
According to tradition, the village was named after an earlier village chief, Sg̱iida-gidg̱a Iihllngas = "Son of the Chiton”] whose name late 18th-century traders in sea otter pelts recorded as Skidegate. Between 1790 and 1820 the community was a hub for the exploitation of sea otter furs.
Skidegate is home to a number of totem poles:
The Haida Heritage Centre is located in Skidegate along the town's eastern boundary.