A living laboratory
At the village of SGang Gwaay, on a remote island at the southern tip of Haida Gwaii, dozens of monumental poles are slowly returning to the earth. This is not an act of neglect, but a deliberate Haida cultural practice that views the decay of these cedar giants as the final stage of their life. The village, abandoned by the 1880s after disease decimated its population, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing the largest collection of Haida totem poles in their original locations. This unique situation has created an unparalleled long-term experiment for scientists studying the decay of cultural objects in a temperate rainforest climate.
Researchers are using this site to document how these massive structures, carved from Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), succumb to the elements. The heartwood of this cedar species is known for its natural resistance to fungal attack. It contains antimicrobial compounds called thujaplicins, which deter insects and slow the growth of fungus and bacteria. Despite this natural protection, the high rainfall and salt spray of the maritime environment create ideal conditions for gradual decay. Scientists use techniques like comparative photography and digital image analysis to track the rate of deterioration over decades. One study comparing images from 1982 to 2009 found an overall loss of about 5% of the total carved relief on the surviving poles.
Cultural return to the soil
For the Haida people, the poles are artifacts. They are representations of ancestors, family histories, and social standing. There are mortuary poles that once held the remains of chiefs, memorial poles, and frontal house poles that displayed a family's crests. According to Haida tradition, when a pole falls, it is left where it lies to complete its return to the forest floor, nourishing the ground from which its cedar tree first grew. Raising a fallen pole would require a new potlatch ceremony, so they are allowed to return to the earth.
This process is carefully stewarded by the Haida Gwaii Watchmen Program. Co-managed by the Council of the Haida Nation and Parks Canada, this program stations Haida guardians at important village sites like SGang Gwaay throughout the summer. The Watchmen protect the sites from vandalism and educate the few visitors who make the difficult journey by sea or air. They ensure that the slow, natural decay continues undisturbed, a process that honors both cultural tradition and the cycles of the forest. The site contains the remains of 10 longhouses and 32 mortuary or memorial poles. While some poles were moved to museums in the 1930s and 1950s, the ones that remain offer a living record of both Haida artistry and the science of organic decay.