Northern Haida Master Carvers

NOTHERN HAIDA MASTER CARVERS Robin K. Wright "The art of the Haida of the Queen Charlotte Islands and Alaska ranks among the most sophisticated and spectacular art traditions of the world. While Haida art has long been recognized as central to the development of the highly formalized northern Northwest Coast style of design, it has often been viewed as somewhat static and anonymous. The author highlights for the first time the distinctive achievements of several of the most important Northern Haida artists and analyzes the art historical developments and stylistic changes in pole carving." "Northern Haida Master Carvers traces the making of the monumental poles from the days of first white contact to the present, illuminating the variations in style that resulted from historical, cultural, and individual circumstances. Author examines the work of the earliest named Haida pole carver, Sqiltcange, and separates the carvings that can be attributed to the legendary Albert Edward Edenshaw from the large body of work produced by his nephew, Charles Edenshaw. Author identifies the work of the little-known artist, Duncan ginaawaan, Albert Edward Edenshaw's brother-in-law, and his clan-relative, Dwight Wallace, both from Klinkwan, Alaska. Author discusses the legacy of the nineteenth-century artists carried on thought the work of their twentieth and twenty-first century descendants and artistic heirs."