Charles Edenshaw and carvings
Charles Edenshaw (ca. 1839-1920) was a Canadian artist of Haida First Nations ancestry known for his work with anthropologists.
Edensew (the name also spelled Edensaw, or Edenso from the Haida chiefly name Idɨnsaw) was born at the Haida village of Skidegate, on the Queen Charlotte Islands (a.k.a. Haida Gwaii) 27 miles off of the coast of British Columbia Canada. His father was K'łajangk'una of the Nikwən Qiwe lineage of the Raven moiety. His mother, whose lineage identity he followed in the Haida matrilineal system, was Qawkúna (later Mrs. John Robson) of the Eagle 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.
In addition to the chiefly 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.
Edenshaw's marriage to Isabella Edenshaw (Yahgujanaas) was part of a long pattern of intermarriage between these two prominent Haida lineages. Together they parented four daughters (in chronological order), Emily (White), Agnus (Yeltatzie), Florence (Davidson), and Nora (Cogo).
Through his daughter Emily, Edenshaw is great-grandfather to the contemporary artists Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas and Jim Hart. Edenshaw's daughter was the matriarch Florence Davidson, and, through Davidson, he is great-grandfather to her grandchildren, the artists Reg, Robert Davidson, and Isabel Rorick.
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
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