Our venues

Artistic Traditions

Full view of a Chest
This chest may be by the Hieltsuk master artist Du’kwayella (Captain Richard Carpenter, 1841-1931).
Accession Number 9.12.01.1

Northwest Coast crest art is one of the world’s greatest artistic traditions.

Artists such as Da.axiigang (Charles Edenshaw, 1839-1920, Haida) and Du’kwayella (Captain Carpenter, 1841-1931, Hieltsuk) left rich legacies. Their work can be seen in the gallery.

Today, artists like Robert Davidson (Haida), Richard Hunt (Kwakwaka’wakw) and Joe David (Nuu-chah-nulth) continue to explore and redefine these artistic traditions, producing both for home and abroad.

‘Boxes store regalia, food, oil, general household objects and were used in canoes to keep trade items dry while travelling. Today, we still make and use bentwood boxes to store dance regalia and re-inter our repatriated ancestral remains.'

Text by Haida Gwaii Museum at Qay’llnagaay, Skidegate, British Columbia, Canada

The Northwest Coast | Back to the top