1: Why are Haidan Chiefs born with supernatural powers (or with the potential for them)?
2: Are other people born with supernatural powers?
1. I assume we're talking about Haida Chief Natsilane? I guess the question I'd fire back is… why not?
Was Raven's gargoyle form and his "clans" looks physically characteristic of the kind of gargoyles that would have been found in North America or Canada before they went extinct?
Not necessarily. He was modeling the forms off the totem poles, which as Natsilane stated were NOT based on gargoyles.
This is not a question, but a comment about "Heritage." I enjoyed the story (even though I prefer a less malevolent version of Raven), but I think there must be an error in it. Maybe you're already aware of it. I don't aim to make the show look bad, but only to inform you, because you have said you have future plans for Natsilane and the Haida.
The scene with the error is when Natsilane ascends the volcano to battle Raven. He is dressed in a buckskin jacket, buckskin pants, and a feather headdress. This is the kind of clothing that many people think of when they imagine a Native American chief, but this kind of clothing was only worn in or near the Great Plains. Before European clothing became common, each region of North and South America had a separate style of clothing, with further variation between the different cultures within each region. The traditional clothing in the Northwest Coast area did not include any buckskin or feather headdresses. In general, in the Northwest Coast people traditionally wore brightly colored woven cloaks and wide-brimmed conical hats.
Thanks. Obviously, if your info is accurate, our character designer for that model of Natsilane didn't do his research.