Old Massett

Old Massett, from the Masset town pier

Old Massett, named G̱aw in X̱aad kíl, is a village on Graham Island in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada. It lies on the east side of Masset Sound close to the town of Masset; the area of land it is on is legally designated Masset Indian Reserve No. 1, or Masset 1. The original name of the settlement was Uttewas, meaning "white-slope village" in the Haida language. It is populated by Haida people of both Ḵuustak, the Eagle matrilineage, and Ḵayx̱al, the Raven matrilineage. The town is administered by the Old Massett Village Council. Its population has fluctuated over the last one hundred and fifty years; smallpox drastically reduced its numbers in the late 1800s, but in 1968 it had over 1,000 people and was the largest village in Haida Gwaii.[1] In 2009, the Village Council counted 2,698 band members in the area;[2] the 2016 census counted 555 living at the Old Massett townsite.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Dalzell, Kathleen (1973). The Queen Charlotte Islands, book 2 : of places and names. Prince Rupert, B.C.: Cove Press. pp. 379–380. ISBN 9780969052814.
  2. ↑ "Council of the Haida Nation". Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation. Province of British Columbia. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "Masset 1, Census Profile 2016 Census". 2016 Census Profile. Statistics Canada. Retrieved 20 July 2018.

Coordinates: 54°02′24″N 132°11′17″W / 54.040°N 132.188°W / 54.040; -132.188

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