The Port Townsend Wooden Boat Festival is thrilled to welcome members of the Haida Nation as special guests this year. We are honored to host two captivating presentations by Haida members, sharing their profound knowledge and craftsmanship in the resurgence of traditional Haida sail making and masted canoe building. These presentations not only highlight the rich cultural heritage of the Haida people but also celebrate the revitalization of ancient skills and their deep connection to the ocean. Join us in experiencing the powerful stories and innovations that are preserving and advancing Haida seafaring traditions for future generations.
The Resurgence of Haida Sail Making: Mastering Ancient Weaving Techniques
Saturday, September 7 | 2 PM | Adventure Stage
Presented by Paula Varnell and her aunt, Evelyn Vanderhoop
The resurgence of traditional Haida sail making speaks to the heart of Haida identity and sovereignty. The act of weaving cedar bark to construct the first traditional Haida cedar sail in over a century is not merely a revival of a lost art but a declaration of the enduring Haida connection to ocean spaces and to the essential role of cedar for the Haida. This project, begun in 2023, is resulting in powerful sharing of utilitarian skills and ancestral knowledge within the Haida Nation and also with indigenous knowledge bearers around the Pacific Rim. This presentation by two eminent Haida weavers provides a look at the evolution and progress of this project that links historical knowledge with vibrant cultural continuity.
The Resurgence of Haida Sail Making: A New Era of Masted Haida Canoes
Saturday, September 7 | 3 PM | Adventure Stage
Presented by Jaalen Edenshaw and his father, Guujaaw Edenshaw
Haida canoes endured colonization and are justifiably celebrated for exceptional craftsmanship. The seafaring prowess of these canoes and their navigators connected the Haida with the ocean and facilitated trade, communication, and cultural exchange for generations. Masted ocean-going canoes are referenced historically, and this project brings together the creation of a new masted canoe of old-growth cedar with the making of cedar sails. The process of linking exacting carving skills, the piecing together of nearly-lost knowledge legacies, and the contributions of numerous community members, young and old, is making this ambitious project advance the Haida’s vital seafaring heritage. Guujaaw and his son Jaalen Edenshaw, who are internationally acknowledged as master carvers and culture bearers, will share both the cultural technologies and the significance of this project.
About the Presenters:
Paula Varnell, Presenter
Jaad Tl’aaw, Paula Varnell belongs to an unbroken line of Haida weavers and language speakers. She is the Program Coordinator for the Skidegate Haida Mentor-Apprentice Program in partnership with the Haida Gwaii Museum, and a member of the Skidegate Haida Immersion Program. Paula holds a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Northern British Columbia, with a two-year concentration in Haida language and culture. In addition, she is the co-author of the Haida children’s activity book, “Magical Beings of Haida Gwaii”. In the continuation of her great naanii, Ilst’ayaa, Selina Adams Peratrovich’s legacy, she provides traditional Haida weaving and harvesting immersion experiences through, House of Haida Weavers, on Haida Gwaii with her naanii, Ilskyalas, Delores Churchill and mother, X̱iihliiḵingang, April Churchill.
Jaalen Edenshaw, Presenter
Jaalen Edenshaw is a member of the Ts’aahl – Eagle Clan of the Haida Nation, and has always been surrounded by Haida Art. At a young age Jaalen began studying the discipline of Haida form-line design and carving under his father Guujaaw Edenshaw’s guidance, and later carving with James Hart. With these two Master carvers he worked on various projects including totem poles, copper shields, and canoes. He owes his understanding of the art to these experiences.
He has since moved on to creating his own works of art, focusing primarily on wood sculpture but also two-dimensional design, stone, stop motion animation, and script writing for Haida productions. He has produced several monumental totem poles such as the 14 meter “Two Brothers Pole” raised in 2011 in Jasper National Park, carved with his brother Gwaai, and the 15 meter “Gwaii Haanas Legacy Pole” raised at Hlk’ah G̱awG̱a, an ancient Haida village in Gwaii Haanas in 2013.
Although he has work featured in many public and private collection around the world, including the Field Museum in Chicago, the Royal BC Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum. Jaalen has always taken the most pride in the pieces that he has done in his community.
In 2019 he started his own research into the building of a Haida canoe. After visiting old Haida canoes left unfinished in the forest, canoes in museums, and talking with his father at length about the art of canoe building he completed his first canoe in 2020.
Master Weaver, Evelyn Vanderhoop, Co-presenter
Master Carver, Guujaaw Edenshaw (Chief Gidansda), Co-presenter