Header - Thunder Bird Park

Title - Late Park

The carving shed that was built in 1952Thunderbird Park, 1969, showing the carving shed that was built in 1952.RBCM PN12988-6, 7.

The carving shed, ca 1960The carving shed, ca 1960. RBCM PN13945.

Introduction

Carvers’ Workshop, 1952

In 1952, the provincial museum began a program of pole restoration. The purpose of the program was to replace the original carvings in Thunderbird Park that were deteriorating through exposure to the elements. These would be moved indoors and new poles created by First Nations carvers working in the park.

The program was intended “to preserve the art of totem-carving and to serve as a unique tourist and educational attraction,” according to the annual report of the Provincial Museum of Natural History and Anthropology for that year. Mungo Martin, who was then 71 years old and recognized as “the finest totem-carver remaining” and “an outstanding authority on all aspects of native culture” of the Kwagu’ł, headed the program.

Carving shed, ca 1967.
RBCM PN17217-1.
This building, large enough to accommodate work on monumental carvings, was erected during the spring and summer of 1952. It provided a covered studio for the carvers; one side was left open to allow visitors to interact with the carvers and learn about First Nations cultures from the artists themselves. The museum’s annual report for 1952 stated that “as a tourist and educational attraction,” the program was “an outstanding success.” In two days during the tourist season, “2,375 people watched the carvers at work and 962 of them took pictures, including 196 with movie cameras.” For many people, meeting Mungo Martin and the carvers in Thunderbird Park led to a lifelong appreciation of First Nations cultures.

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