Saturday, September 14, 2024

Haida Gwaii

 More today inside the Grand Hall in the Canadian Museum of History.


Outside is a sculpture, and at this time of year, the pool around it is filled with water, reflecting the river in the background. This is 'namaxsala (To Travel In A Boat Together), a 2013 sculpture by Mary Lynn Barkhouse, based on a story by her grandfather of his giving a wolf a ride across treacherous waters.


This panel explains the significance of totem poles.


More of a look around.


This huge canoe is nearby.


Here we have one of three versions of the same sculpture. The Spirit of Haida Gwaii is by the Haida artist Bill Reid. This is the plaster cast of the sculpture- bronze versions can be found at the Canadian embassy in Washington and at the airport in Vancouver.

28 comments:

  1. I was recently writing about the Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg, and now you have exposed an equally interesting Canadian Museum of History in Ottawa. Presumably those two museums have some themes in common.

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  2. So interesting. Love the sculpture with the wolf in the boat.

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  3. Beautiful totems and I love the canoe with the wolf. Have a great weekend.

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  4. ...To Travel In A Boat Together is fabulous. Paddle power was important back in the day.

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  5. I love the sculpture in the pool, William. You got a great reflection in that shot.

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  6. Love the boat in the pool the best!

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  7. The Spirit of Haida Gwaii is my favorite among these you shared. I'd probably stand in front of it from all sides for an hour or so.

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  8. I love that boat sculpture. There is something soothing about it.

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  9. I would love to see the displays in this museum.

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  10. The sculpture of the wolf in the canoe is always a favourite of mine.

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  11. What a beautiful and intriguing sculpture! Mary Lynn Barkhouse’s work sounds fascinating, especially with its connection to a family story. The reflection in the water must make the piece even more striking.

    Wishing you a lovely weekend. You are invited to read my new blog post: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2024/09/sighthill-neighbourhood-glasgow.html

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  12. Awesome totem creations and the canoe with the wolf in it is my favorite ~ Wow!

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    clm ~ A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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