Case 3 Culture and value system

Working at the turn of the century, Edenshaw’s life spanned a period of great hardship and tragedy for the Haida people, yet he found ways to adapt and produce outstanding work.The way that Edenshaw incorporated subjects from traditional Haida stories into his work is one of his crowning achievements. His development of overlapping and interwoven forms was unprecedented and brought new vitality to these subjects. The Narrative section of the exhibition highlights Edenshaw’s extraordinary carved argillite platters, where stories come to life in the design.

Jewelry and leather were often used as iconic commodities traded between colonists and indigenous people. Gold, silver and other precious metals were used as currency to circulate between the two groups. The shapes, patterns and finishes of jewelry, on the other hand, can give it additional cultural value. Needless to say, such jewelry commands a higher price. Some artisans would tend to make these jewelry with the characteristics of the foreign culture, which was seen as the beginning of cultural exchange. It is not a case of one party being forced into the other, but rather a friendly and rational exchange.