The Haida Gwaii Museum has been incorporated as part of the Haida Heritage Centre at Kaay Llnagaay. The size and scope of the Museum has been expanded significantly from its original 8,000 square feet to almost twice the size. The Museum’s primary goal is to accommodate a presentation of Haida culture that represents the full range and quality of Haida art and artifacts.

The Haida Gwaii Museum is dedicated to conserving and making accessible the human and natural history of Haida Gwaii through exhibitions, research and public programs.

Originally opened in 1976, the Haida Gwaii Museum is located at the old Haida village site of Qay’llnagaay - which translates to "Sea Lion Town" in Haida.

Museum Features:

• Main Exhibits Gallery and Pole Gallery
• Temporary Exhibits Gallery located next to the main Gallery
• Public programs, and lectures that focus on the history, culture and art of the Haida
• Exhibitions of present-day contemporary artists
• Information about contemporary issues pertinent to Haida Gwaii

Highlights from the Museum’s collections include:

• Monumental totem poles from the Haida villages of Tanu and Skedans in the Pole Gallery
• Contemporary and historical Haida art, including works by Bill Reid, Charles Edenshaw, Tom Price, Gordon Cross, Giitsxaa, Robert Davidson, Christian White, and many others
• An extensive photographic archive of Haida Gwaii people and places from the 1870’s to the present day
• An excellent representation of the birds, mammals, plants and sea life of Haida Gwaii

Oral History Program: The Museum’s current oral history program works with Haida elders, students and volunteers to collect and record Haida songs, stories, and clan genealogies.

Research Project: A research project conducted in the late 1990's has resulted in the production of a comprehensive visual database of Haida art and artifacts held in collections and institutions around the world.  A portion of these Haida heritage objects have been brought home from the United States to Haida Gwaii to become part of this presentation.  Several museums, including the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Royal British Columbia Museum, have indicated a willingness to repatriate Haida materials to the Haida Heritage Centre at Qay'llnagaay.

2007 / 2008: The Museum’s new exhibitions will bring together knowledge of the natural world of Haida Gwaii with exhibits of Haida history and culture, reflecting the Haidas' inseparable relationship with the land, sea, plants and animals of Haida Gwaii.

Temporary Exhibits: One of three classrooms will house a changing exhibitions gallery for exhibitions of work by contemporary artists and to receive travelling shows from other museums and galleries.  The museum expansion area will provide adequate storage and conservation measures for the growing volume of archaeological collections being recovered from research and excavations, both past and present.