The case represents the three repatriated dialects of the Alaska Haida language. Each orb represents one of the three dialects, and the scene below is an artistic representation of the UNESCO world heritage site which the story in the book A Tale of Two Shamans is set.
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With the reclaiming and revitalization of the language and use of the Alaska Haida Dictionary, Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas creates a visual narrative retelling Haida cosmological origin, while representing the three dialects alongside English.
First Nations Languages of British Columbia (B.C.) Map
Linguistic map hosted by B.C.’s Museum of Anthropology.
First Peoples Map of B.C.
Map of the 204 Languages Spoken by First Nations communities across BC. This is an open source living map.
Dictionary of Alaska Haida
A Tale of Two Shamans
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...
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I have restrained myself from writing an extensive opinion limiting my
retelling to a brief text and illustrations. This should suffice to give the
engaged reader a hint of the amazing concepts which ripple through this shamanic tale and remain a substantial element of that dynamic living society of Indigenous Peoples called Haida."