Masset Village
Collection by The Bill Reid Centre
The village of Masset lies just inside the mouth of the Masset Inlet on the eastern shore. Its Haida name was Uttewas, which means “White Slope” in the Masset dialect. At the southern end of the village is a tall hill that has considerable quantities of clam shells, remains of ancient meals, eroding from its banks, hence the term “White Slope”. The hill itself is called Idjao, a name also used for a collection of houses south of the hill.
Star House
Star House with its frontal pole and memorial pole. Note that the frontal pole is not directly attached to the frame of the house.
Star House Memorial Pole
A memorial pole with a separately carved bear at the top of a stack of five cylinders, and at the base, a grizzly bear.
Star House Frontal Pole
The Star House frontal pole after it was moved to the Pitt-Rivers Museum in Oxford University.
Halibut House
The Halibut House is shown here with it’s frontal pole before the pole was shipped to Jasper, BC. Notice the support posts angled along the side of the walls of the houses. In the background is the Star House.
House Child
A standing bear memorial pole carved in more realistic style than on previous poles at Masset. Here the pole is shown after the top portion of the pole was cut off, just above the head of the bear. Standing next to the pole is Benjamin Bennett (son of Luke Bennett who raised this pole) - the last pole in Masset.
Idjao Hill
Double mortuaries with the frontal pole of the Bone House in the background at the top of the hill.
House Child Memorial Pole
Crests on this memorial pole were a standing frog at the top, followed by potlatch cylinders, and a bear-like creature at the bottom.
Bear Memorial
A memorial post consisting of a plain stout post about 3 metres high, surmounted by the large horizontal figure of a bear similar to, but much larger and more elaborately carved (including faces in the nostrils) than the bear in front of Property House. Like the former, this may have been a mortuary figure with a receptacle in the side to receive a box of ashes or a child’s coffin.
Monster House Interior
Interior of Chief Wiah's Monster House as it were when the house was still occupied.