A Tale of Two Shamans

by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

This story is a blend of accounts recorded at the turn of the last century in three of the once numerous dialects of the Haida language. I have combined elements from these accounts into a newly constructed whole. Be cautioned that these images are interpretations informed by my own cultural composition and life experiences. This is a contemporary rendering of a worldview first expressed in different times and probably for different reasons...

Genres: Graphic Novels, Canada, Indigenous, Mythology, Fiction, Comics

85 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2001

About the author

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is an award-winning visual contemporary artist, author and professional speaker. His work has been seen in public spaces, museums, galleries and private collections across the globe. Institutional collections include the British Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum and Vancouver Art Gallery. His large sculptural works are part of the public art collection of the Vancouver International Airport, City of Vancouver, City of Kamloops and University of British Columbia. Yahgulanaas's publications include national bestsellers Flight of the Hummingbird and RED, a Haida Manga. When not writing or producing art, Yahgulanaas pulls from his 20 years of political experience in the Council of the Haida Nation and travels the world speaking to businesses, institutions and communities about social justice, community building, communication and change management. His most recent talks include the American Museum of Natural History and TEDxVancouver 2015.

Yahgulanaas became a full-time artist after many decades working in the Haida Nation's successful campaign to protect its biocultural diversity; however, he began to play as an artist much earlier. As the descendant of iconic artists Isabella Edenshaw, Charles Edenshaw and Delores Churchill, his early training was under exceptional creators and master carvers of talented lineage. It wasn't until the late 1990s after an exposure to Chinese brush techniques, under the tutelage of Cantonese master Cai Ben Kwon, that he consciously began to merge Haida and Asian artistic influences into his self-taught practice, and innovated the art form called "Haida Manga."

Haida Manga blends North Pacific Indigenous iconographies and framelines with the graphic dynamism of Asian manga. It is committed to hybridity as a positive force that opens a third space for critical engagement and is weaved through his art, books and speeches. Haida Manga offers an empowering and playful way of viewing and engaging with social issues as it seeks participation, dialogue, reflection and action.

Yahgulanaas's visual practice encompasses a variety of different art forms including large-scale public art projects, mixed media sculptures and canvases, re-purposed automobile parts, acrylics, watercolours, ink drawings, ceramics and illustrated publications. Exploring themes of identity, environmentalism and the human condition he uses art and speaking opportunities to communicate a world view that while particular to Haida Gwaii - his ancestral North Pacific archipelago - is also relevant to a contemporary and internationally-engaged audience.

Influenced by both the tradition of Haida iconography and contemporary Asian visual culture, Yahgulanaas has created a practice that is celebrated for its vitality, relevancy and originality.

(from: http://mny.ca/en/biography)

Reviews

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the Haida illustrations but the myth was pretty incomprehensible to me, probably because of my cultural position. But I just couldn't find a way in.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the story quite confusing. I wish there had been some culture background or more explanation at the beginning of the book.

[Elna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always pick up Yahgulanaas's Haida mangas because they're so appealing: the covers, the titles, the art and the style. But then they leave me feeling cold - I know that they're retellings of traditional Haida myths and stories, but they just don't make sense to me.

But it's a great touch to have the three different dialects alongside the English.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Includes 3 dialects along with English. Well illustrated and thought provoking.

[Elise Ravenclaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am confused by parts of this story. I wish I knew more about this culture, maybe then I would understand it better.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crap.

[April Dickinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Haida Manga style and I loved how this story incorporated three living dialects of the Haida language family.

[Meepelous · Rating 4 out of 5]

An old old story, this is one of those cases where the art and the story really join together and help build each other up. I'm still a complete outsider finally looking in, but the more I read by and about Yahgulanaas the more I appreciate the work he is doing. Living surrounded by settler culture, the act of breaking from that mold is Increadibly hard to do and it is really encouraging to see someone breaking through so beautifully.
I will be returning to this story in years to come.