The Haida are a proud and cultured people, whose home is Haida Gwaii (the Queen Charlotte Islands) off the coast of Northern British Columbia. Until the first Europeans arrived in 1775, the Haida were the lords of the coast. The meeting of cultures was a fateful one: the Europeans had the advantages of firearms and immunity to their own deadly diseases. In just 150 years, the Haida and their culture were pushed to the edge of extinction.

 

In Raven's Cry, Christie Harris recreates this tale of tragedy and the ultimate survival of native spirit with dignity, beauty and ethnographic accuracy.

Christie Harris is the winner of four major book awards and has written a total of nineteen books.

Christie Harris' profile page

Raven’s Cry

Initially published in 1966, Raven’s Crywas a milestone of Canadian children’s fiction. It can still be used to introduce readers to the richness of Aboriginal culture. This history of the Haida Gwaii peoples spans the era from contact with Spanish explorers in 1775 to the death of Charles Edenshaw in 1920. It chronicles major events in post-contact history, including the trading of iron tools for sea otter pelts, the introduction of Christianity, the impact of political control from Victoria, and health and social problems. Interwoven are the myths and legends, crests and totems, social customs and beliefs, personalities and deities of Haida Gwaii. Revised in 1992, this edition, includes illustrations by Bill Reid and a foreword by Robert Davidson. The book also contains a glossary of Haida names and words.

Harris wrote hundreds of children’s books and was a recipient of the Order of Canada.