Charles Edenshaw and carvings

Charles Edenshaw (ca. 1839-1920) was a Canadian artist of Haida First Nations ancestry known for his work with anthropologists. {{ethnic group| |group=Haida |image= |poptime=c. ...

Edenshaw (the name also spelled Edensaw, from the Haida chief name Idɨnsaw) was born at the Haida village of Skidegate, on the Queen Charlotte Islands (a.k.a. Haida Gwaii) of British Columbia. His father was K'łajangk'una of the Nikwən Qiwe lineage of the Eagle moiety. His mother, whose lineage identity he followed in the Haida matrilineal system, was Qawkúna (later Mrs. John Robson) of the Raven moiety's Sdəłdás lineage, of which Charles eventually became chief. He spent his early years at Kiusta and Yatza in the northwestern Charlottes. His Haida name was Tahaygen. He learned from his uncle, the Eagle chief Albert Edward Edenshaw. In 1884 he was baptised with his English name, which derived from Scotland's Bonnie Prince Charlie. Skidegate [skɪd É˜ ËŒgɘt] is a town in the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia. ... Leaving Skidegate Inlet aboard BC Ferries M/V Queen of Prince Rupert The Queen Charlotte Islands or Haida Gwaii are an archipelago off the northwest coast of British Columbia, Canada, consisting of two main islands, Graham Island in the North, and Moresby Island in the south, and approximately 150 smaller... (Public domain map) The Queen Charlotte Islands or Haida Gwaii are an archipelago off the north-west coast of British Columbia, Canada, consisting of two main islands: Graham Island in the North, and Moresby Island in the south. ... Motto: Splendor Sine Occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Official languages English Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Lieutenant-Governor Iona Campagnolo Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seats  - Senate seats 36 6 Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total)  Ranked 5th 944,735 km² 925,186 km² 19,549 km... For the U.S. politician, see Charles E. Stuart Bonnie Prince Charlie Charles Edward Louis Philip Casimir Stuart (December 31, 1720 – January 31, 1788), was the exiled claimant to the thrones of Ireland, commonly known as Bonnie Prince Charlie. Charles was the son of James Francis Edward Stuart, the...

In addition to the chief name Idɨnsaw, he also held the titles Skɨl'wxan jas ("Fairies Coming to You as in a Big Wave"), Dahʔégɨn ("Noise in the Housepit"), Nəngkwigetklałs ("They Gave Ten Potlatches for Him").

He produced many commissioned works, now in museums, and served as consultant to many anthropologists. His works include bentwood boxes, rattles, masks, totem poles, and staffs, and he worked in wood, argillite, gold, and silver. His work was collected by the anthropologists Franz Boas and John R. Swanton. Totem poles are carved from great trees, most often Western Redcedar, along the Pacific coast of North America. ... An argillite is a fine-grained sedimentary rock composed predominately of indurated clay particles. ... Franz Boas Franz Boas (July 9, 1858 – December 21, 1942[1]) was one of the pioneers of modern anthropology and is often called the Father of American Anthropology. Born in Germany, Boas worked for most of his life in North America. ... John R. Swanton was an American anthropologist who worked among a number of Pacific Northwest coastal tribes in the United States and Canada in the early 20th century. ...

Edenshaw's marriage to Isabella Edenshaw was part of a long pattern of intermarriage between two Haida lineages.

Edenshaw's daughter was the Haida artist Florence Davidson and, through Davidson, he is great-grandfather to her grandsons the artists Reg and Robert Davidson. Robert Charles Davidson, C.M., O.B.C., D.F.A. (Hon) (born 4 November 1946 in Hydaburg, Alaska), is a Canadian artist of Haida heritage. ...

Sources

• Blackman, Margaret B. (1982; rev. ed., 1992) During My Time: Florence Edenshaw Davidson, a Haida Woman. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

• Harris, Christie (1966) Raven's Cry. New York: Atheneum. (Revised edition, Vancouver, Douglas & McIntyre, 1992.)

• Macnair, Peter L., Alan L. Hoover, and Kevin Neary (1984) The Legacy: Tradition and Innovation in Northwest Coast Indian Art. Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre.

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online