Description
Argillite is a dense black shale mined from a quarry on Haida Gwaii, reserved for the exclusive use of Haida carvers. Unique in style and character, argillite carvings range from ceremonial pipes to model poles, animal-form bowls to elaborate platters and chests. Haida artists have created and sold carvings in argillite since the 1820s. A force in the continuity of Haida art styles through the 19th and 20th centuries, argillite carving has inspired carvings in other materials, like gold and silver, and continues to be an important medium for contemporary Haida artists.
The Magic Leaves features more than 200 duotone photographs of argillite carvings from the extensive collection of the Royal BC Museum. These images illustrate Peter Macnair and Alan Hoover’s comprehensive history of the art form.
About the Authors
Peter L. Macnair is curator emeritus of ethnology at the Royal BC Museum, a post he held for more than 30 years. He is widely recognized for his knowledge of the art and history of the First Nations of the Northwest Coast.
Alan L. Hoover worked in the Royal BC Museum’s anthropology collections for 33 years and retired in 2003, as manager of the department. He is currently working on several projects related to anthropological and ethnohistoric studies.
Other books by the authors:
The Legacy: Tadition and Innovation in Northwest Coast Indian Art (Macnair and Hoover, with Kevin Neary)
The Whaling People of the West Coast of Vancouver Island and Cape Flattery (Hoover, with Eugene Arima)
Nuu-chah-nulth Voices, Histories, Objects & Journeys (Hoover, editor)
Nuu-chah-nulth Voices, Histories, Objects & Journeys (Hoover, editor)
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