The Belief and Cases Related to Reincarnation among the Haida

Abstract

Like other tribes of northwestern North America, the Haida of the Queen Charlotte Islands (British Columbia) and southeastern Alaska have conserved their traditional belief in reincarnation. Thirty-four informants showed that the belief still persists, even among some young adults. Cases of the reincarnation type occur frequently among the Haida. The main features of 24 cases investigated between 1965 and 1975 are: predictions of rebirth in a particular family; announcing dreams, which indicate who is to be reborn; birthmarks said to correspond with wounds on the deceased person with whom a child is identified; imaged memories of a previous life; and correspondences in behavior between a child and a deceased person. Although the characteristics of the Haida cases resemble those of other northwestern tribes of North America, they differ in some respects from cases of other cultures, such as those of Southeast Asia.