Article Evaluation
The article Haida People on Wikipedia has done a good job of using words and phrases that address the colonial history while respecting the Haida culture, such as referring to the Islands as Haida Gwaii, not Queen Charlotte, and mentioning that the latter name was "given back,"[1] to the Canadian government, which is a concept we discussed in class. However, the phrase "given back" was put in quotations without a reference or citation. This could perhaps mean that it is not a direct quote but rather a way of providing a tone of voice, but this is not made clear. And if it was just the tone, then that would imply a bias as well, I believe. As does the word "aggressive" to describe the "tribe," and they later cite a book written in 1914 by a European explorer creating a particularly fearsome picture of the Haida, without acknowledging that it was likely the author could have had a bias.
The article also seems to imply that the Haida are no longer around. It mainly talks about them in the past tense in the main body of the article It essentially only describes them before and during contact, and yet still mainly seems to have a Eurocentric view, describing more their battles, and painting them as the ever-popular "noble savages" then describing in any detail their customs or beliefs or ways of life, mentioning them only in passing. It also seemed to jump around from one subject or time period to another without any real transitions, which could be confusing at times.
A couple of the citations were also from press sources, which Wikipedia does not recommend, as there can be biases present. However, given the long history that this article covered, perhaps that cannot be avoided.
If I were to contribute to this article I would add more on their present fights for sovereignty, their constitution, their attempts to revitalize the Haida language, and just generally add more on their present reality.
While this article is not on a specific place on the islands, it does discuss the Haida people, which relates back to our projects. Writing about the places, as well as about the people, is a subject with significant history that must be addressed cautiously and respectfully, and it shows and certain seemingly innacous wording could be, or be perceived as, harmful.
- ^ "Haida people - Wikipedia". en.m.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 2017-09-08.