Monday, January 31, 2011

The Clock Table - A Blast From the Past

A woman in Calgary emailed me recently asking for an appraisal and some background information on a custom dining table we made over 16 years ago. I recognized the table immediately from some photos she sent along.

Thankfully we have invested a good deal of time and effort over the years to create an extensive database of our many custom furniture projects, so it was not difficult to find the original job card, specifications and drawings for this table.









This particular design was a customized version of our "Clock Table". It was ordered on September 26, 1994 and shipped in February 1995. This project was assigned W.O. #0142, which means that it was created shortly after our changeover from an older, less efficient job tracking system that was in place since the company's beginnings in 1967.

This dining table measures 96" long x 48" wide x 29" high, and has extending ends that can receive 2 massive 30" leaves. The top was finished in a combination of gold and silver leaf which was variously oxidized, washed and glazed to create a faux finish effect of an antique clock face. The table was then coated in a protective high gloss automotive polyurethane.

The top is supported by dual pedestal bases with plinths finished in matching gold and silver leaf treatments. The tapered column pedestals are high gloss stained mahogany.

This table was ordered through a gallery in Miami called Carriage House, and shipped to a nearby warehouse. That was as much as I knew about the table.

From the current owner I learned that the table stayed in Miami area for a few years before being moved to a new home in Vancouver. Four years ago that table was moved yet again, this time from Vancouver to Calgary.

Considering that this table is over 16 years old and has experienced at least two major moves, I am amazed that it looks as good as it does. Assuming that it is still in near mint condition I am certain that this table has at least held its value over the years.

The dining chairs were made separately by Donghia, and upholstered to complement the table.

This table is now being offered for sale, and I've been asked to share a phone # and email address to help market this piece. The current owner can be reached by phone at (403)-681-2500 or email at sonia@fitx.ca

Sunday, January 30, 2011

IDS11 - It's a Wrap !!!


Today was the third and final day of the Interior Design show (IDS11) . Once again the attendance was strong, and with some careful planning we were able to stretch Kevin's literature into the final minutes of the show - even if only barely.

The show closed promptly at 6:00 p.m., and that's when the real activity started with everyone busily packing up and clearing out their space. I was highly impressed with the speed and efficiency displayed by exhibitors vacating their spaces. I was even more impressed with the sense of community spirit and cooperation within Studio North, as exhibitors choreographed their efforts to also help each other with lifting and wrapping and sharing tools etc.

If the whole world worked this way, the whole world could work this way.

Kevin and I were packed up and on the road less than 2 hours after the show closed, and that was no mean feat considering that we had to dismantle and move some very heavy cabinetry from the show floor to the loading dock and into a mini-van.

All in all the response to Kevin's display was phenomenal, and we'll see in the coming weeks what develops in the way of leads.

In the meantime it's back into the shop tomorrow.
There's custom furniture to be made.


Saturday, January 29, 2011

IDS11 - Day #2 - Another Roar


Today was Day #2 of the Interior Design Show (IDS11). Where yesterday was professional trade day, today was the first of two weekend sessions open to everyone - including the public.

That said there was a different mix of traffic today, with more couples and families in attendance. Nevertheless the traffic flow through Studio North was intense yet again, and the following video clip will give an idea of some of the crowds.



Incidentally, this video was taken during one of the quieter times - when it got really busy I was helping Kevin answer questions.

In the grand scheme of things I'm glad we attended the opening night party, because that was the only time I got to see any of the non-Studio North exhibits.

(Not that I really care, because Studio North is where the coolest stuff is anyway.)

Friday, January 28, 2011

Ay, Caramba - IDS11 Opens With a Roar !!!


O. M. G.

Before this year's Interior Design Show (IDS11) began I had a feeling that Kevin's display would generate some positive "buzz". The reality of opening day, however, blew my expectations right out of the water.

IDS11 opened with a roar, and within the first hour the aisles in Studio North were jammed with visitors. With little effort was Kevin creating traffic jams in front of his booth with demonstrations of his rotating T.V. cabinet.


Before the show began I told him he'd have to "keep that thing moving" to get people to notice his work. (I was concerned that his less-than-prime location might be a detriment to him getting seen). In reality, there were a few times I had to get Kevin to shut things down - just to get traffic flowing again and keep surrounding exhibitors from getting ticked off. It was mayhem - in a good way.

I truly lost count of how many times I heard the words "awesome" and "amazing" used to describe Kevin's work. Within the first 4 hours he had already gone through more handouts than he gave out for during the entire IDS10 show last year. At the rate things were going he'd have been out of literature by mid-afternoon, and we had to change tactics to only giving handouts to those who specifically asked.

Business News Network (BNN) interviewed him at one point, and a video cameo of him appeared on tonight's national broadcast on Global 57. (I won't repost it here because his face time was only about 10 seconds long, but it's in the middle of a 9 minute segment).

In addition to BNN there are also several design bloggers who have posted positive reviews of his work, including Remote Stylist, Bedford Brooks , Blogto , Mosaicworks , and Delectably Chic.

Long story short: Kevin had a magnificent day today, and I am so happy for him!

But 'my dogs are barking', my back is aching, and it's time relax with a pint.


Tomorrow will be another long one as day #2 of IDS11 gets under way.

Alvin Toffler Foresaw Mass Customization

While studying economics at university in the early 1980s I read a book called "The Third Wave", which was written by a sociologist and futurist by the name of Alvin Toffler. "The Third Wave" was a sequel to Toffler's earlier book "Future Shock", which was first published in 1970.



"Future Shock" contended that humans and societies were about to experience massive structural change, as part of a revolution from being an industrial society to a super-industrial society. "The Third Wave" expanded on this analysis by describing three types of human societies in the form of waves.

The First Wave is the settled agricultural society, which replaced most earlier hunter-gatherer cultures.

The Second Wave is the Industrial Age society, which first began in Western Europe with the Industrial Revolution. Key elements of the Industrial Age are the nuclear family, and the factory-type education system and the corporation. Of this, Toffler went on to say:

"The Second Wave Society is industrial and based on mass production, mass distribution, mass consumption, mass education, mass media, mass recreation, mass entertainment, and weapons of mass destruction. You combine those things with standardization, centralization, concentration, and synchronization, and you wind up with a style of organization we call bureaucracy."

So far all of this sounds very familiar.

The Third Wave is the post-industrial society. Toffler says that since the late 1950s most countries have been transitioning from a Second Wave society into a Third Wave society. He coined many words to describe it and mentions names invented by others, such as the Information Age.

The one thing that really stood out from me when reading this book was the term "mass customization". And as part of the shift from mass manufacturing to mass customization Toffler said we would see greater personalization, customization, informationalization, democratization and humanization of everything.

Mass customization enables cheap production of personalized products catering to small niches. In other words, production runs of one-of-one will become ever more viable and prolific every single day.

In my mind there is no question we are seeing more and more evidence of this, as the large scale factories and assembly lines of yesteryear are progressively shuttered and mothballed while small-scale entrepreneurs such as artisans and solitary craftspeople use information technology to leverage their way into competitive niches in the marketplace.

At this year's Interior Design Show (IDS11) it is clear that the future of design and craftsmanship will not be found at the big box retailers selling mass manufactured "stuff" from places like China. Instead, it will be found with the kind of work that innovative artisans and craftspeople are currently exhibiting at niche displays such as Prototype and Studio North.









Come to IDS11 to see the future of design and craftsmanship.



Thursday, January 27, 2011

IDS11 is Ready for Lift Off


Kevin is off to Toronto this morning to finish setting up for the Interior Design Show (IDS11) . After a feverish marathon session yesterday he also has some Press Kits to drop off at the Media Centre.

Meanwhile, I'm off to the shop to focus on some of the more mundane things in life, such as the actual making of custom furniture.


In today's installment of relentless promotion I am showing a detail photo of one of Kevin's mosaic inlay panels. Kevin has cut each inlay by hand, and what I find most amazing is that he doesn't even work from a drawing when creating these panels. He simply starts with one segment and then intuitively decides what size, shape and wood species the next one will be, etc etc etc until a finished panel is created - much like you see here.

At one point he did try to optimize the process by using standardized shapes and templates, but the end result (although faster to make) ended up looking too uniform and "engineered". I encouraged him to revert to his original method of doing this free hand which is, frankly, brilliant both in design and execution.

A mobile video showing the recently completed display has recently been uploaded to Youtube. Please excuse the poor audio, since there is still a great deal of background noise as other exhibits are still being completed.


As you can see a large example of Kevin's mosaic inlay will be featured as a rotating panel on the media cabinet.

It will be on display in Studio North booth SN-42 for the next 4 days.

Meanwhile, IDS11 opens tonight with a gala bash called "All You Need is Love".

Kevin and I will be there to enjoy some fun before IDS11 ramps into high gear tomorrow morning with Professional Trade Day.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Lamborghinis at the Car Show

Yesterday I helped Kevin set up his booth at the Interior Design Show (IDS11) . By the time we were done some neighbouring exhibits had been set up as well, and it was a pleasure to see other examples of well designed and fine quality work.



As we drove home I told Kevin that his media cabinet would likely garner its fair share of "buzz" and attention this weekend. However, I also pointed out that he shouldn't get his hopes up too much with unrealistic expectations of making a sale.



The reason, I explained, was that examples of fine quality craftsmanship at a show like this are like Lamborghinis at the Car Show - everyone wants to look and kick tires, but the real buyers are the rarest of breeds.

Our discussion reminded me of an old cartoon strip called "Sally Forth" which I saved back in 2002. It remains relevant because of how well it explains the general buying psychology in today's furniture market.


Nevertheless, I am very confident that Kevin will connect with some seriously interested potential clients this weekend. And even if only a handful of these contacts result in tangible projects in the coming years, he'll have done exceptionally well with this show.





Monday, January 24, 2011

Kevin Wiggers - Portfolio of Work

Kevin has been making fine furniture on a full time basis for less than a year now, and he's made some remarkable accomplishments.



This Levee Table was Kevin's first design. It was created in 2009 while he was still in school. Crafted from Bleached Zebrawood and satin black lacquer, the glass top rests on aluminum and rubber offsets. It's numbered 2009-#001.




The Channel Table was made from quarter cut English Oak, selected from a rare stock of Vintage veneer. This table was first exhibited at last year's IDS10, and later at the "Faculty Selects" exhibition at the M.I.T. campus in Boston. 2009-#002.




The Portage Table is made of highly figured East Indian Laurel set on a satin black lacquer plinth. The drawer is dovetailed solid maple. 2009-#003.


The Portage Table design was subsequently customized to create a dining table base, with satin stainless steel offsets to support a 3/4" glass top. 2010-#028.






This desk was a custom commission with apron and legs crafted from solid natural walnut. The mosaic top pattern was meticulously crafted by hand, with 6 different species of wood individually cut and fitted together. 2010-#023.






The Aquaria Console Table has a solid walnut apron and base, fitted together with mortise and tenon joinery. An inset drawer of solid dovetailed maple is discretely concealed in the apron at one end. The floating top is made of figured Crotch Walnut that has been polished to a high sheen. 2010-#016.





Kevin crafted this music box out of a rare stock of vintage Rosewood and Rosewood Burl veneer, which was inlaid with Ebony, Satinwood and Wenge. His attention to detail extends to the inside of the box as well, with an inlay on the underside of the lid. 2010-#029.



As suggested in yesterday's post, please visit the Interior Design Show (IDS11) to meet Kevin and see his most recent creation. Kevin's display will be in Studio North, booth SN-42.


Kevin Wiggers - Profile for IDS11 Press Kit





Although he's only 21 years of age, Kevin Wiggers is already demonstrating remarkable talent and accomplishment as a fine furniture maker. Perhaps this is not surprising given that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all skilled furniture makers in their own right.


By the age of two Kevin's interest in working with tools was already making itself apparent.



Growing up in suburban Toronto, Kevin's boyhood passion was sports. He particularly excelled at baseball, and at age 14 he was scouted by the Milwaukee Brewers professional baseball team. Kevin spent the next several years in the Ontario Blue Jays youth development program, playing in tournaments across North America. It was here that Kevin deepened his fascination with woodworking as he began to ask questions about how wooden baseball bats were made.


This soon led to an informal apprenticeship with his grandfather Johan, who was himself trained as a master cabinet-maker in his native country of Holland. Johan taught Kevin woodturning on a lathe, and Kevin soon became very adept at making his own custom wood bats from maple and quartered ash.

Following high school Kevin enrolled in a full-time Industrial Woodworking program at Conestoga College, which he graduated last year.




Working out of a small studio in his father's shop Kevin has started prototyping his own designs, and he continues to spend countless hours with his grandfather learning many traditional Old World techniques of veneering and fine furniture making - many aspects of which are not taught in schools.




Although Kevin enjoys working with a variety of materials including wood, metal, glass, stone and parchment his medium of choice is wood. Inspired by the stone inlays on an antique coffee table made by his grandfather, Kevin has started creating his own interpretations using fine inlays of mosaic veneer.

For IDS11 Kevin will be exhibiting a custom cabinet designed to hide a 40" LCD TV inside a 6" deep space. (A sneak preview of this cabinet as a work in progress is shown here in the attached video.)



Kevin is a member of The Furniture Society and the Ontario Crafts Council.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Kevin Wiggers at IDS11

Here are the top 5 reasons to visit Kevin Wiggers' booth #SN-42 at this week's Interior Design Show (IDS11).


Reason #5:

Although everyone loves the idea of having large flat screen TVs in their home, how do you hide these things when you're not watching television?

Kevin's solution is a custom made cabinet that can hide a 40" LCD TV inside a 6" deep space.



Reason #4

Reason #4 for visiting Kevin at IDS11 is to check out his use of environmentally responsible and sustainable materials.

Going "green" has come a long way from recycling old crates to make furniture. The cabinet shown in the video is made of FSC certified Ebony which has been laminated using non-UF glue. The cabinet is also finished in a low-VOC water based urethane, which means that it qualifies for points under the LEED program.

Reason #3

Reason #3 for visiting Kevin Wiggers at this week's IDS11 is to see an example of his mosaic veneer inlay work. The rotating panel in the video above has been meticulously inlaid by hand using individually shaped panels of wood veneer. The inlays were cut freehand and have been fitted with incredible precision. If nothing else this mosaic panel demonstrates Kevin's exceptional skill and talent using traditional marquetry techniques learned from his grandfather.




Reason #2

The #2 reason for visiting booth #SN42 at IDS11 is to see a rare example of geniune fine parchment work.



The large sample that Kevin will have on display is going to be the real McCoy, using the same materials and techniques that the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians used as far back as the 6th Century BC. (That said, this sample is NOT going to be faux finished paint or textured wallpaper.)

Reason #1

Finally (drum roll, please) , the number #1 reason for visiting booth SN42 at this year's Interior Design Show is to meet the maker: Kevin Wiggers.




For a young man who turns 21-years-old tomorrow, this kid has talent.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Spirit of K'iid K'iyaas

In April 2002 the "Forest Leadership Forum" was held in Atlanta, Georgia. This conference brought together more than 1,300 leaders from 45 countries to discuss important issues related to the goal of sustainable forest management, including the role of certification schemes in improving forest management. Participants included representatives from environmental groups, retailers, and the forest products industry. This forum was jointly sponsored by Metafore and the World Wildlife Fund.



During this conference a special ceremony took place on the evening of Friday April 26th to present an original commissioned painting entitled "The Spirit of K'iid K'iyaas" to the Haida First Nation. Generously donated by Canadian wildlife artist Donna Bisschop, this painting was offered as a gesture of Hope over the loss 5 years earlier of a tree considered sacred to the Haida people.



K'iid K'iyaas (also known as the Golden Spruce) was felled on January 22, 1997 by an unemployed logger named Thomas Grant Hadwin. Hadwin's actions served as little more than a deranged act of protest against the clear-cutting of forests in British Columbia.

The story of K'iid K'iyaas is explained in greater detail in my earlier post.

The Story of K'iid K'iyaas (The Golden Spruce)

Two days ago outdoors writer Margaret Carney published an article entitled "It's hard not to love a tree -- do you have a favorite?"

Here's the story of my own favorite tree.

Exactly fourteen years ago today a deranged act of eco-terrorism resulted in a sacred tree being cut down on Haida Gwaii.



Haida Gwaii (also known as the Queen Charlotte Islands) lies about 100 miles off the Northwest coast of British Columbia, Canada. Covered in lush temperate rainforest, these islands provide habitat for a broad range of unique plant, animal, fish and bird species. For at least 10,000 years, Haida Gwaii has also been home to the Haida First Nation, a powerful and enduring tribe famous for their warrior culture, their myths, and their totemic art forms.

One enduring mystical story derived from Haida folklore is that of K'iid K'iyaas, which loosely translates as "Old Tree". Haida legend tells of a young man who was disrespectful of nature's ways. When his village was destroyed by a snowstorm, only a boy and his grandfather were able to flee. Despite warnings not to look back, the boy disobeyed and instantly his arms were turned into branches and his legs became roots, and he was transformed into the magnificent golden spruce that became sacred to the Haida people.

Although genetically a Sitka Spruce, this tree's survival for over 300 years defied all conventional scientific explanation. Lacking cartenoid, a sort of arboreal sunscreen that protects leaves from excessive sunlight, the Golden Spruce should have withered and died. Instead, it flourished on the bank of the Yakoun River, and its inability to photosynthesize sunlight gave its needles a magnificent golden hue.

All this came to an end on January 22, 1997 when an unemployed forester named Thomas Grant Hadwin cut the tree down and sent a Unabomber-type manifesto to the Haida First Nation, environmentalists, and several newspapers. Hadwin was a vocal critic of logging industry practices in British Columbia. He was particularly angered by what he perceived to be MacMillan Bloedel's hypocrisy of clear-cutting hundreds of thousands of trees, while professing to be good corporate citizens by cordoning off a small segment of rainforest around the Golden Spruce.

His letter proclaimed that "I didn't enjoy butchering this magnificent old plant, but you apparently needed a wake-up call that even a university-trained professional should be able to understand." Hadwin was arrested and charged, but he mysteriously disappeared before ever coming to trial.

The Haida were devastated because they considered themselves responsible for the tree's stewardship. Even more upsetting, the falling of the Golden Spruce also heralded the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy.

Upon first hearing of this tragedy in 1997 I felt rocked to the very core of my being, and in that moment I made a promise that if I ever got to the west coast of Canada I would visit the site of this fallen tree to pay my respects. On some level this simple promise seemed to trigger a series of strange coincidental events which culminated in my making the trip in December 2000. In many ways the experience became an epiphany for me.

Unbeknownst to me at the time some other people were also having serendipities of their own with respect to the Golden Spruce. One of these was a writer by the name of John Vaillant. At the time John was freelancing for several publications including The New Yorker, and he initially travelled to Haida Gwaii to write an article about kayaking. Upon hearing of the Golden Spruce he got sidetracked enough to write first an article entitled "The Golden Bough" and, later, this book:


John's book "The Golden Spruce" ended up winning the Governor General's Award for literature, and it does a remarkable job of documenting the history and extenuating circumstances that led to the ultimate demise of K'iid K'iyaas.



During this same time Mark Leiren-Young was also working on his award winning film "The Green Chain" , and he paid homage to K'iid K'iyaas by incorporating its story into a rivetting monologue delivered by actor August Schellenberg.

By this point you may be wondering what the story is behind this tree. For this I believe the story of K'iid K'iyaas is best told by Haida artist Hazel Wilson. What follows is a repost of a series of images that first appeared on a website in 2005, as part of an exhibition of button blankets by Hazel at the Marion Scott Gallery in Vancouver.



Born in 1941, Hazel Wilson grew up in the village of Old Massett on Haida Gwaii. Called Jut-ke-Nay in her native Haida language, she is a member of the Duugwaa St’Langng 7laanaas clan on the Raven side.

When she was 14, Wilson’s aunts informed her that she was to become a maker of appliquéd button blankets—ceremonial robes created from melton cloth and decorated with pieces of abalone, copper and pearl buttons.

Wilson mastered her designated craft in due course, making countless robes for friends and relatives over the years. In the early 1970s she moved with her children to Vancouver, where she continued to create robes for family members and the contemporary art market. Now her extended family’s matriarch, Wilson is widely recognized as an important innovator within Haida artistic tradition.

For the majority of her artistic career, Wilson has concentrated on creating button blankets that feature stylized interpretations of various family crests, such as frogs and ravens. Traditional in conception, Wilson’s crest designs are nonetheless distinctive and contemporary: in addition to buttons, she attaches a range of materials to her images, including pieces of brass, shells from the sea and beadwork.

In more recent years, Wilson has undertaken less traditional projects and directions. In 2005, she completed a unprecedented series of 17 button blankets that chronicle the life and tragic demise of the famed Golden Spruce Tree; and in 2006 she began work on an even larger blanket series that records many of the stories told to her as a child growing up on Haida Gwaii.

This, then, is the story of K'iid K'iyaas, as told by Hazel Wilson:




1. Young Thunderwoman

"This blanket is a portrait of Thunderwoman
- the first Golden Spruce -
whom the Haida call Hiilang Jaat.
During the last ice age she made a wish
to be perpetually young;
for that reason I always
portray her as a beautiful young woman.
The white shells around her head indicate
that this is in the time of the last ice age."





2. Thunderwoman

"Hiilang Jaat and her nephew were originally humans who
lived through the Flood. They always have their hands out,
praying to the Creator that they would survive or be remembered."
"Hiilang Jaat became the first Golden Spruce."






3. Thunderwoman, middle-aged

"This blanket represents the time of the smallpox epidemic,
shown by the coloured buttons around Thunderwoman's head.
According to our oral traditions, Hiilang Jaat and her nephew
were the only two survivors."





4. Hiilang Jaat

"Another image of Hiilang Jaat in the Ice Age.
Because she always wanted to be beautiful,
she wears a blouse decorated with many shells."






5. Hiilang Jaat

"Her expression is solemn because she is remembering
the smallpox epidemic that devastated her people.
Her top is dark to reflect her sombre mood.
The designs in her hair symbolize the lightning
that would one day strike her down."

"She wears a piece of beadwork that belonged to my mother.
I always include a piece from my mother's collection of beadwork
when portraying Hiilang Jaat."





6. Thunderwoman

"Hiilang Jaat in her prime - a representation of the first
Golden Spruce remembered in all her beauty.
The buttons in her palms remind us that she
has returned to the stars.
She has gone Home."





7. Young K'iid K'iyaas

"K'iid K'iyaas and his aunt, Hiilang Jaat, were the only two
survivors of the smallpox epidemic. When Hiilang Jaat died,
K'iid K'iyaas lay down beside the dead tree.
Instead of dying himself,
he was transformed into the second Golden Spruce."






8. Young K'iid K'iyaas

"Another image of K'iid K'iyaas in his youth.
The red cuts in his side
foretell what is going to happen."





9. Young K'iid K'iyaas

"K'iid K'iyaas in his prime.
He is slim, golden and handsome -a beautiful young spruce.
K'iid K'iyaas was once a human being - a man - whose aunt
became the first Golden Spruce.
The three coppers signify that he would grow tall
and live to be 300 years old."



10. Not Reproducible

"The Golden Spruce is middle-aged here.
His branches have been shot off
in hopes of creating a new tree by grafting,
to no avail."




11. Ancient Tree

"This is a portrait of K'iid K'iyaas from the perspective
of the last person to see him alive and intact.
To this person, K'iid K'iyaas appeared to be just an old, shiny tree.
The green branches at the bottom
show that there is strength and vitality under the skin of age."

"The spirit of the Golden Spruce
is looking back at the individual with sadness,
knowing what is to come."


12: Falling

"When K'iid K'iyaas was cut down, he was filled
with pain, sadness and tears.
He was fallen."





13. The Hand Reaches Out

"K'iid K'iyaas, fallen, is being raised up
by the hand of the Creator,
who will reunite him with his aunt, Hiilang Jaat.
The heart with the teardrop in the centre
shows that he is remembered and mourned."






14. Tears of Haida Gwaii

"When K'iid K'iyaas was felled in 1997 by a man from the mainland,
it filled the Haida with pain and sadness.
This is K'iid K'iyaas after he was cut down.
The red marks on his sides indicate where he chainsaw ripped through him.
The tears in the background are the tears of the Haida people.
K'iid K'iyaas has fallen, but his spirit is still present."




15. Together

"All the legends come together here - the Flood,
the Ice Age, and the smallpox."

"The aunt and the nephew are alone; all the other people are gone.
They hold the last of the magic in their hands.
K'iid K'iyaas holds the Raven who, during the Flood, was not lost.
Hiilang Jaat holds the crystals of magic for the last time
before they were hidden in the mountains forever."

"This is just befoe Hiilang Jaat was transformed into the first
Golden Spruce."





16. New Hope

"A new Golden Spruce is growing out of the fallen trunk,
while the spirits of Hiilang Jaat and K'iid K'iyaas look on.
The severed hand of K'iid K'iyaas is remerging in the form of the little tree.
The smiling spirit of K'iid K'iyaas is confident that the new tree
will survive and grow to a great height;
Hiilang Jaat, on the other hand, is more anxious about the future
of the young spruce."

(Special thanks to Russ Heinl for sharing his amazing photograph of K'iid K'iyaas, taken while it was still standing. Thanks also to August, John and Mark for keeping the spirit of K'iid K'iyaas alive through their efforts to share the story. Thanks to Donna Bisschop for her donation of the painting "The Spirit of K'iid K'iyaas", which was presented to the Haida at a special ceremony in April 2002, as a gesture of Hope over the loss of this sacred tree. Last but not least, thanks to Hazel Wilson, Leo Gagnon and the Haida people for allowing the story of K'iid K'iyaas to be shared with the rest of the world.)