Trade and Culture Through Haida Hats
To showcase a product of Haida trade and material culture, the Haida hat is the perfect example. These hats are made from the bark of the important red cedar tree, as well as spruce roots. They are made up of a distinct weaving style that uses two different styles for the top and brim respectively. After these were woven by women, men would usually paint a crest in what is called split representation. Split represenation is "where the body of the animal is divided, wrapping around the hat to join at the head and pelvis" (Winter).
How these hats were used in trade was really creative. The Haida would weave the hats, but not put any symbols or paint on them. They would then trade these plain hats to neighboring tribes, where they could modify them to fit their own culture. The Haida were not afraid of trading away what could be seen as culturally important items or even alter their material culture for trade. Their canoes if kept to themselves would have given them a big advantage over the other coastal nations with regards to fishing and war, but they still engaged in trade with them. The Haida were also happy to help deepen representations of those they traded with, an unpainted hat traded to the Tlingit could then be adorned with important Tlingit symbols. In the same vein, the popularity of Haida depictions of Europe and Europeans speaks to the lengths the Haida went for the sake of trade.