Skidegate Band Council
Band nameSkidegate Band Council
Band number670
EndonymSG̱iidagiids G̱an ga Ḵaagangx̱aaw
PeopleHaida
HeadquartersSkidegate
Main reserveSkidegate 1
Area8.4
Pop year2025
On reserve650
On other land29
Off reserve1106
ChiefWilliam Yovanovich
Tribal councilCouncil of the Haida Nation
Websitehttps://skidegate.ca/

Skidegate Band Council (SBC; hai: SG̱iidagiids G̱an ga Ḵaagangx̱aaw[1]), is a band government of the Haida people, located in Skidegate, on Haida Gwaii. Skidegate Band Council is one of two Canadian band governments for the Haida Nation, the other is Old Massett Village Council. The main governing body of the Haida people is the Council of the Haida Nation, and as such the two band councils function as village governments.[2]

As of March 2025, the band has 1,788 registered members, and 11 reserves, with a total area of 841.8 hectares (2,080 acres).

Reserves

Skidegate Band Council has 11 reserves, whose combined total area is 841.8 hectares (2,080 acres), with the main reserve being Skidegate. Reserves numbered 1-8 were allotted by reserve commissioner Peter O'Reilly in 1882, 9 and 10 were added in 1916 by Royal Commission, and 11 was purchased from the British Columbia government in 1941.[3]

ReserveLocationAreaCoordinates
Skidegate 1At Skidegate Mission, mouth of Skidegate Inlet, southeast of Graham Island.505.7 ha (1,250 acres)
Skaigha 2East coast of Graham Island at Halibut Bay, 7 miles (11 km) north of Skidegate Mission.25.1 ha (62 acres)
Deena 3South shore of Skidegate Inlet on north side of South Bay, north end of Moresby Island.48.2 ha (119 acres)
Khrana 4East end of Maude Island, in Skidegate Inlet, between Graham and Moresby Islands85 ha (210 acres)
Lagins 5Mouth of Lagins Creek at head of Skidegate Inlet, on Graham Island.16.2 ha (40 acres)
Kaste 6At mouth of Copper Creek, on Copper bay, northeast coast of Moresby Island.15.4 ha (38 acres)
Cumshewa 7North shore of Cumshewa Inlet west of McCoy Cove, east side of Moresby Island22.6 ha (56 acres)
Skedance 8On east tip of Louise Island, near, but not at the site, of the village of Skedans.68.4 ha (169 acres)
Tanoo 9East shore of Tanoo Island26.3 ha (65 acres)
New Clew 10On north shore of Louise Island11.2 ha (28 acres)
Black Slate 11On Slatechuck Creek, about 2 miles (3.2 km) west of its mouth on Kagan Bay, Skidegate Inlet17.7 ha (44 acres)

References

  1. ^ Iitl’l kil hla gyaaging • Íitl’ kíl hl gyáandii Use our language: A Haida Language Pocketbook. Council of the Haida Nation. 2024. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-7778131-0-9. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  2. ^ "Village Councils". Council of the Haida Nation. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
  3. ^ Department of Mines and Resources (1943-03-31). Schedule of Indian Reserves in the Dominion of Canada Part 2: Reserves in the Province of British Columbia Recompiled and Corrected up to March 31, 1943.. Ottawa: Government of Canada. pp. 403–405. Retrieved 2025-04-22. – via Library and Archives Canada