Carving Shed

In Laxgalts'ap, we have have a craving shed at the end of the village by the river. Dan and I had the opportunity to meet some local carvers and watch them work. Currently, they are working on 4 poles that will be erected for the expansion of the medical clinic. The four poles will represent the 4 houses, frog, wolf, eagle, and killer whale. The poles were made out of yellow cedar that came from the forest surrounding Lave Lake at the entrance of the modern day Nisga'a territory. The carvers explained the process of carving to us and how the bottom of the tree is actually the top of the pole. Often, we think (at least I thought) that as the pole gets narrower at the top it reflecting the narrowness of the top of the tree, but this is not the case. The top of a tree is full of knots and burrs that make carving details difficult, so the intricate carvings need to be carved on the bottom of the tree where the knots are not so tight. The style of carving in Nisga'a today is based on a late chief, who carved poles in the 1860s. Unfortunately, most of his poles are now gone as they were lost through missionaries and museums. Today, a piece from one of his 60 foot poles sits outside the shed weathering in the snow.