Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage Site

T'aanuu Llnagaay (Tanu)

Old house beams and pit at T'aanuu Llnagaay
© Parks Canada / K. Alexander

The hauntingly beautiful village of T'aanuu Llnagaay is located on the east shore of Tanu Island, on Laskeek Bay. T'aanuu means eel grass, which commonly grows in shallow water around the village. Its people were very fond of sea bathing, so others would tease them—hence the name. It was also called Klue's Village after the original town chief. Emily Carr came here to paint in 1907.

T'aanuu Llnagaay follows the shoreline of two beaches divided by a rocky shoal. In the mid-1800s the village had about 550 inhabitants. More than 25 longhouses, 31 mortuary columns and 15 mortuary houses were recorded then. Present-day visitors notice the many logs on the ground and may mistake them for windfalls; however, these are the posts and beams of old longhouses. These longhouses faced the shoreline and were dug down for protection from the weather—large, rectangular pits mark their locations. Though there are no standing poles here, on close inspection you can see ancient carvings made smooth by time and furred by moss. Walking amidst the ruins, surrounded by the protective rainforest, one gets a strong sense of the people who lived here. Further along the trail is evidence of missionaries: an old tombstone almost worn smooth by time.

A Watchman member describes the village of T'aanuu Llnagaay
© Parks Canada / K. Alexander

The Watchmen cabin is located northeast of the village.