Haida Sails
Resurgence Project
Reviving ancient Haida cedar sails:
a powerful journey of cultural resurgence and maritime heritage
The Haida Sails Resurgence Project is a groundbreaking initiative that is being undertaken between summer 2024 and summer 2026 that brings community members and master weavers of Haida Gwaii together to craft the first Haida cedar woven sail in over two hundred years.
For generations, the Haida were renowned for their craftsmanship and seafaring skills. Ocean-going canoes, crafted from old-growth cedar and fitted with cedar sails, transformed the sea from a barrier into a pathway, facilitating trade, cultural exchange, and communication with other Indigenous nations.
While Haida canoes survived colonization, cedar sails faded from use, remaining only in sketches and historical accounts. But the Haida’s connection to the ocean and navigation never disappeared, as seen through oral histories and archaeological evidence.
The Haida Sails Resurgence Project facilitates the reawakening of cedar woven sail-making among Haida weavers supported through Haida ancestors' resilience, innovation, and self-determination.
The project has been enriched by the guidance of traditional knowledge holders from Aotearoa and Hawai’i, fostering a collective effort to reawaken the technology needed for Haida sailmaking.
The Resurgence of Haida Sail Making Project is supported by the following phases:
Research
Conducting research into historical archives, museum sail collections, Indigenous sail making projects around the world, and modern sail practices and materials.Weaving of Miniature Sails
Two miniature sails will be woven for a small model canoe to test the effectiveness of these two sail stylesWeaving of Full-Sized Sail
Construction of sail for a 33ft Haida canoe to be completed by August 2026
Project Phases
Support our Project
The Haida Sails Resurgence Project is proudly supported and facilitated through the Precious Culture Society, an Indigenous run arts & culture society on Haida Gwaii founded to support the revitalization and enhancement of Haida cultural art & craft.
The button below will take you to the Precious Culture Society’s Paypal page to donate one of three funding amounts ($50, $200, $1000) or a custom amount (other).