The Haida are renowned around the world for the beauty and complexity of their art and images. The bold lines of the Haida designs make them uniquely suited to be reproduced as tattoos. The Haida originally used tattoos to depict family Clan Crests. Haida crests chronicled important mythological events in the family or clan's history - usually when an ancestor encountered a spiritual being in a supernatural context. The Haida were once one of the most heavily tattooed indigenous people in the world, and were one of very few groups in recorded history to tattoo in co lour, using red as well as black.
