August 19, 2025
Reviving ancient Haida cedar sails—a powerful journey of cultural resurgence and maritime heritage
We’re thrilled to welcome the Haida Sails Resurgence Project back to Port Townsend for their second year at the Wooden Boat Festival!
This groundbreaking, multi-year initiative brings together Haida weavers, knowledge holders, and community members to revive the ancestral practice of cedar sail making. Launched in 2024, the project continues to grow as its cultural and technical foundations deepen and expand.
At last year’s Festival, traditional and modern sailmakers joined in a collaborative roundtable to learn about the Project’s origins on Haida Gwaii and its wider development across the Pacific. The gathering sparked incredible cross-cultural exchange—blending Indigenous knowledge and the craft practices of sailmaking to support the design of early prototypes.
This year, project leads Jaad Tl’aaw, K’ujuuhl, Ḵayd Guudang, and Kungst’aasl will offer an exciting project update. They’ll share the evolving story of both the sail and the canoe—discussing the sail currently being woven, lessons learned from connecting with Indigenous weavers across the Pacific, and how the team landed on the preferred sailplan for Haida canoes. They’ll also highlight innovations in integrating the sail with traditional canoes, adaptations made to rigging systems, and the exciting next step: preparing to carve a second canoe.
Learn more about the Haida Sails Resurgence Project at haidasails.com or read the article on 48° North.
