Living in the Land of Giants

Tracing the inspiration of Canadian artist Emily Carr, witness and documenter of a vanishing culture

‘Indian War Canoe, Alert Bay’ (1912) by Emily Carr [view license]

I arrived in Alert Bay sixty years after Emily Carr painted this image. See the houses on the right of the painting? I have walked past the house with the two thunderbird totem poles in front of it on countless occasions. They were still standing there in 1972. Totem poles are carved out of cedar wood, which resists rot. They serve as signboards, genealogical records as well as family memorials.

The pair of totems were carved by Kwakiutl master carver Charlie James (1867–1938) for ʼNamgis chief, Tlah-Co-Glass. They became icons of Alert Bay, and over the years have been reproduced in print, photography, and paintings, countless times.

Thunderbird-topped Totem Poles outside the house of Chief Tlah-Co-Glass, Alert Bay, British Columbia, hand-tinted photograph c.1923 [view license]

If you are wondering who is Emily Carr and where in the world is Alert Bay, let me fill in the blanks.

Alert Bay is located on Cormorant Island off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island on the western shores of Canada. The island is only 3 miles long and half a mile wide. It was incorporated in 1946 and has a diverse population of approximately 500…