If you think a lighthouse issues a bright beam, you should see David Dixon’s huge smile shining from the shore of Skedans, a ruined village in a remote part of Haida Gwaii in British Columbia.
Dixon, 45, usually lives in New Westminster and works for a catering company but this summer he has transformed into a Haida Watchman – spending three months living with only basic amenities and welcoming visitors to heritage sites. I chatted with Dixon about his special role.
What’s your personal connection with Haida Gwaii?
I was born in Vancouver but I grew up in Masset and Skidegate with my grandparents. We’d go out in a rowboat and we’d go around and get seaweed and clams. I was brought up on the land, shown what to do and how to gather food. So this is kind of getting back to that.
Tell me about the Watchman Program.
In the ‘80s, some tourists came to this village and they took an artifact and put it on their boat. That’s why this program was started, to protect these places, so that wouldn’t happen ever again.
What’s the history of Skedans?
In this village there would have been 27 houses and approximately 400-450 people would have lived here. You can imagine the canoes on the beach – everybody going out to get halibut or salmon, then coming back, hanging them in the smokehouses and milling about.
What’s here today?
There are a few poles standing. Some are lying on the ground. They’re mostly mortuary poles and memorial poles. Some have been removed and put in museums to protect them. If you go to the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, there’s a full miniature replica of the village as it was.
How many Watchmen are there? Where do you sleep?
There are two people on this site. Our cabin is only two years old and it’s absolutely beautiful. There are two bedrooms, a main living area, a kitchen/dining area, a wood stove, propane stove and an electric fridge/freezer. We’ve got battery packs on the side, solar panels in the tree and a wind generator on the top of the tree.
No TV, I take it.
That’s one of the things we’re not allowed to have because we’re here to show people the culture. They request that we don’t have any electronics. The only thing we do have is a radio to contact town.
So you don’t leave the village at all during your stay?
I’m at this site for a whole month. I don’t leave. We get to go out on a boat once in a while if we get time, but there are so many people coming in and out of here.
What do you do all day?
On a slow day, when there’s nobody here, we’ll cut the grass, we’ll make sure everything looks nice and neat and tidy. When people do come in, we give them a tour of the village. Some days it can get quite hectic, or we might not see anybody. It’s very weather dependent.
How entertain yourself on those slow days?
Lots of reading. And getting creative with my cooking. I’ve made curried chicken, apple rhubarb pie, some cream puffs…
What!? You have ingredients for cream puffs here?
Our supply boat comes every two weeks, so we send a grocery order in and they come down with our propane, our gas and our bottled water. I love cream puffs. Whoever I work with, they absolutely love working with me.
Did you watch the show Survivor to prepare for this?
It’s one of my favourite shows! If they put me on it, I think I could probably do it.
What is that neat hat you’re wearing?
It’s a red cedar bark hat. I made it last summer. It took me about three and a half weeks to make it, right from the bark to what you see on my head now.
What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you finish your stint as a Watchman?
I’m going to go buy a flat screen TV (guilty laugh). I’ve got this big clunker of an old TV and it’s time to get a new one.
For more information on travelling to Haida Gwaii, click here.
To get to Skedans, book a day trip with Moresby Explorers.
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Fantastic. Such a treasure!
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