Historic Argillite

Trade Pipe
Artist Unknown (Haida)

Late 1800s

Late 1800s

Eagle and Bear Family Totem
Artist Unknown (Haida)

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are...

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.Eagle is an e...

Argillite Panel Pipe
Artist Unknown (Haida)

c. 1850The history and tradition of argillite carving can be seen through the individual reflecti...

c. 1850The history and tradition of argillite carving can be seen through the individual reflection of each piece. The Haida word for argillite is Kwawhlhal. Argillite is a type of rock that is transitional between slate and shale. Only found on the Islands of Haida Gwaii at the Slatechuck site, located near Skidegate Inlet. Slatechuck is a five-kilometer hike from the inlet and is owned and controlled by the Haida people “Chuck” is the Chinook Jargon word for water, “saltchuck” means salty w...

Figural Group
Artist Unknown (Haida)

c. 1880s This figural group is populated by various animals and beings from Haida cosmology. At ...

c. 1880s This figural group is populated by various animals and beings from Haida cosmology. At one side facing forward, we see a figure that appears to be Dogfish Mother, recognized by the labret in her lower lip and the gills above her head. She also appears to have a dorsal fin that falls to her side. She holds fast to what could be the dorsal fin of a transforming being, such as a Killer Whale, which rests between her feet. Directly behind the primary figure is Raven with a Frog clutched...