The head of the Haida government was their chief, which was passed down matrilineally, usually to the eldest sister's son. Potlaches were celebrations that took years to gather enough food and gifts for, and marked parts of important peoples lives. If you were not given a potlache,you were considered a common villager. Totem poles are an icon of coastal first nations, and were used by the Haida to represent your status. The larger it was, the more important you were.