Our whole worldview, everything we are comes from our Mother. The Europeans are the exact opposite so, in order to destroy our world they had to destroy the importance of the female -- our grandmothers, our mothers, our sisters and aunties. This is one of the greatest legacies of the Residential School, they not only taught the boys (men) to hate women but also women to hate women. Everyone here is holding tightly to those teachings.
We Xaadaa have our own Cultural Imperatives that describe how we are supposed to teach our children and, focuses on the superiority of the male is NOT one of them.
Many of the present (and future) problems will be resolved when the balance between the male/female energy is restored and, can only be restored by working together. By analogy, like a woman/man three-legged race; participants must hold onto one another, thereby enabling them to move cooperatively, and, if either, or both, lets go, they pull apart and fall.
So who are my family?
This is not a simple question to answer for ones who have not grown up with our Matrilineal System. Say for example, I am Ts’et’alaana or Ts’et’janaas (male and female members of my Clan) -- Two-headed eagle.
Gíitjiist uu dáng xaat 'áagang? What nationality are you?
Díi Xaat'áagang. I am Haida.
1. Repetition Drill. In teaching the clan system, stress the inter-relationship of the clans.
..... uu ga Yáalaas guust k'wáalaagang. ..... is from the Raven moiety.
..... uu ga Ts'áak'aas guust k'wáalaagang. ..... is from the Eagle moiety.
2. Special verb drill.
Teacher to student.
Gíitstgáay guust uu dáng k'wáalaagang? What moiety are you from?
Student.
Ga (Yáalaas / Ts'áak'aas) guust uu díi k'wáalaagang. I am from the Raven / Eagle moiety.
3. Use chain drill and repetition drill to practise use of clan names.
Teacher:
Gíistgaay guust uu dáng k'wáalaagang? What clan are you from?
Student:
| Díi uu Yahkw 'Lan-gáagang. | I am Yahkw 'Láanaas. |
| Díi uu K'wii Táas 'Lan-gáagang. | I am K'wii Táas. |
| Díi uu Gaw Kíiwaay 'Lan-gáagang. | I am Gaw Kíiwaay. |
| Díi uu Yáadaas 'Lan-gáagang. | I am Yáadaas. |
| Díi uu Ts'etl 'Lan-gáagang. | I am Ts'etl 'Láanaas. |
| Díi uu Sdast 'Lan-gáagang. | I am Sdast. |
| Díi uu Tsiij git'anee. | I am Tsiij git'anee. |
Each student uses his/her mother’s clan name.
Díi uu Ts'etl 'Láanaas git íijang. I am a child of the Ts'etl 'Láanaas clan.
4. Substitution drill. Each student uses his/her own clan name.
At this point, the teacher should be certain that the student understands the concept of the clan, and the child as a part of the mother’s clan. This should be worked out with each child preferably in consultation with the child's mother.
Teacher:
Gíistgaay guust uu dáng k'wáalaagang? What clan are you from?
Student:
Ga ..... guust uu díi k'wáalaagang. I am from the ..... clan.
Use repetition drill for new information.
Clan names from Hydaburg are:
K'wíi Táas (mud eaters)
Gaw Kíiwaay
Yáadaas
Yahkw 'Láanaas (Raven clan from village named Yahk)
Ts'etl 'Láanaas (Eagle clan from village named Ts'etl)
Sdast
5. Memory passage. Once the clan names have been practiced, and the concepts understood, and each student’s Haida name and clan affiliation is understood, each student can work on the following memory passage so that they can introduce themselves in Haida.
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate names.
1.) .......... hínuu díi kya'áang. (name)
2.) Ga ........... gúust uu díi k'wáalaagang. (moiety)
3.) Díi uu ..........-gaagang. (clan)
4.) ..........-st uu hl íijang. (home town)
