'Masset' () is a village in the
Queen Charlotte Islands (
Haida Gwaii) in
British Columbia,
Canada. It is located on the northern coast of
Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of mainland British Columbia. It is the western terminus of the
Yellowhead Highway.
Name
The name Masset was a gift from the Captain of a
Spanish vessel that was repaired with the assistance of the
Haida citizens of
Atewaas,
Kayung and
Jaaguhl. These three villages accepted the gift and adopted the name Masset to commemorate what might be the first ever contact between Europeans and the Haida nation.
During the early years of Canadian colonization the name Masset and the post office were stolen by the former Reverend Charles Harrison as part of his scheme to sell land. Incidentally this was Haida land that was paper claimed, but contravened both British and
Canadian Constitutional law by being parceled out to a select group of
British subjects.
The name Masset is currently in use by the Village of Masset, a municipality under Canada legislation and the Village of Old Masset, the original recipient of the name and a village under the Constitution of the Haida Nation.