In 1774, Spanish explore Juan Perez came across the islands of Haida Gwaii while looking for lands to claim on the northern coast. As he sailed closer to land he and his crew could spot massive buildings along the shore with towering poles carved with figures to greet them. “Look at the shoreline!” The men shouted, “the trees have faces!”

The men were overwhelmed with the level of technologies and scale of building that they observed. How did it come that these people became known as savages?