Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site

K'uuna Llnagaay (Skedans, Koona)

K'uuna Llnagaay is situated on the eastern tip of Louise Island and faces south onto Skedans Bay from a crescent beach forming the neck of a small peninsula. As the furthest north of all the Watchmen sites, its relative accessibility makes it one of the most highly visited. Its name means Village at the Edge, but it was also known by the Haida as Grizzly-Bear-Town because of the large number of grizzly bear carvings to be found there; traders from away named it Skedans, a corruption of the name of its chief, Gida'nsta.

In the mid-1800s almost 450 Haida lived here in about 26 longhouses. An 1878 survey shows record of 56 monumental cedar sculptures, including frontal poles, single and double mortuary poles, memorial poles and mortuary figures. The famous Canadian artist Emily Carr visited K'uuna Llnagaay in 1907.

Through most of the carvings have now returned to the earth or been removed, K'uuna Llnagaay is one of the few remaining village sites with standing poles and remnants of large longhouses. Crests featured on the poles, such as rainbow, frog, eagle, beaver, and two-finned killer whale, signify which families lived here. A path winding through the old village allows you to appreciate the artistry of the poles, now in varying stages of decay, and provide a glimpse of what life may have been like here many years ago.

The Watchmen cabin is located behind the village facing the opposite side of the peninsula. Also of interest to visitors is a magnificent alder tree at the western end of the village trail. At 7.1m (23ft), it has the largest circumference of any red alder in British Columbia.