Crests chronicled important mythological events in the family or clan history - usually when an ancestor encountered a spiritual being in a supernatural context. Oftentimes, stories related to these events were told and retold, in turn setting the specific family or clan apart from others while defining their social position among Haida society. When tattooed upon the body or carved onto an object, crests served as title to the animal or geographic feature depicted on it as well as to its spirit. Thus, the right to a crest, the right to use the emblem, was more valuable than the particular physical object itself.

Crests were symbols of power & prestige & their owners were given the right to pass them on to their heirs.

You simply MUST see this incredible find!!
Amazing Early Haida "Tattooing Kit" located at Smithsonian Institution

Haida Tattoos from in the 1870's

Crest Tattoos of the Tlingit and Haida of the Northwest Coast
 

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