Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Left
Carved doors, Museum of Anthropology
Right
Kwakw
a
k
a
'wakw totem pole,Thunderbird Park
First Nations Art
'Ksan Mural
Five artists carved this red
cedar frieze to illustrate Northwest
Coast raven myths. The nine pan-
els tell stories of how the Raven
created the elements of the world
through his mischievous activi-
ties.
d
1025 W Georgia St • Map K3
Kwakw
a
k
a
'wakw
Totem Pole
Completed in 1999, this pole at
Victoria's Royal British Columbia
Museum
(see pp24-5)
provides a
chance to see a powerful modern
interpretation of traditional carving
by two young Kwakwaka'wakw
artists, Jonathan Henderson
and Sean Wonnock.
The pole features a
mythical thunder-
bird on top of the
tail of an orca.
The Jade Canoe
Haida artist Bill
Reid's awe-inspiring
bronze creation is
the second casting
of
The Black
Canoe
. Thirteen
creatures from
Haida mythol-
ogy paddle
an imposing
20 ft (6 m) canoe
.
d
Vancouver International
Airport • Map A2
Hetux
Internation-
al travelers alighting
at the Vancouver airport
are greeted by
Hetux,
a huge birch-and-alu-
minum image suspended from
the ceiling. Connie Watts com-
bines animal forms as diverse as
the mythical thunderbird with the
hummingbird, wolf, and salmon
to reflect the untamed spirit of
her grandmother.
d
Vancouver
International Airport • Map A2
The Jade Canoe,
by Bill Reid
Inukshuk
Made by Alvin Kanak for Expo
'86, the granite sculpture is an
Inuit welcome figure, a traditional
traveler's marker, although much
larger than those found in the
North.
d
English Bay Beach • Map G3
Thunderbird House Post
Tony Hunt's majestic thun-
derbird stands above a grizzly
bear, which in turn holds a human
being. The house post is a replica
of one of a pair carved in the early
1900s by influential artist Charlie
James. After 40 years in Stanley
Park, the poles deteriorated, were
restored, and moved indoors.
Carver Tony Hunt re-created the
colorful cedar pole now standing
in the park's Totem Park
(see p9).
Carved Doors
The entrance to UBC's Muse-
um of Anthropology
(see p34)
is
itself a work of art. Made of red
cedar by four Gitxsan master
carvers, the double doors convey
a narrative from the Skeena
River region. When closed, the
images form the shape of a
Northwest Coast bent box used
for storage as well as burials.
Totem art represents family clans with figures such as eagles, frogs,
ravens, orcas, and grizzly bears; mythical creatures are also common
36
