The Haida people were very advanced in their thinking and customs. They believed in spirits and were respectful not only of their land, but also everything that lived on it. They had a highly developed way of trading among themselves and other tribes, and got along well with eachother. Social status and wealth were among the most important things in the Haida culture. The life of the Haida was organized around social status and wealth.
One of the many ways that the Haida people showed their wealth, and a huge part of their culture was a huge celebration called a potlatch. "Potlatch" came from the Chinook word patshatl, meaning to give a way. A potlatch was a great ceremony that celebrated the host's wealth. Hundreds of guests were invited from many different clans, and this feast could last up to 10 days of singing, dancing, and Haida rituals. The hosts of these potlatches had to sometimes plan their feast for over 2 years. People in the Haida culture had to earn their status, so although they inherited their ranks from their family, they had to prove that they were worthy of this rank. The hosts of potlatches were often very wealthy, but after the celebration had nothing. They would often give away everything they owned in their potlatch to gain high social status. Even if they were broke, they would still have their social status, which was extremely important to these people. The host of a potlatch needed to achieve two basic things during their potlatch: (1) their guests would see their importance, wealth, and energy, and (2) their guests would remember their potlatch forever. The host would do anything and everything to have their potlatch remembered, so they gave the guests gifts of blankets, clothes, pots, anything! Potlatches could also be celebrated for other things such as raising a totem pole or building a new house (both signs of a wealthy host). The more a host gave away to the guests, the higher his status in society, because it would be like him saying that he could afford to let go of all of his belongings.