Craft

McCord Museum (2006)
Innovation, change and adaptation seem to be recurring themes in any discussion of Haida art. In this sense, Haida manga is part of a larger context...and distinctively Haida in approach.

The stylized, highly-disciplined geometric art of the Haida has always been admired by their neighbours. Products produced by skilled Haida artisans were sought-after items in the trade between peoples of the Northwest Pacific. After European contact, Haida craftsmen, recognizing a new market, began to adapt their work to European tastes and produced, for example, carved pipes or miniature totem poles. (McCord Museum, 2006).

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas' Haida manga hybrid fits into this tradition of innovation, evolution and adaptation. "That strangely contorted term 'traditional' does not reflect my understanding of the potency and expansiveness of my Haida heritage," he explains. "I don't recall my great-grandmothers or my uncles mumbling mantras of traditionalism as a way to stifle change, growth or expression. I watched them innovate and adjust practices to achieve a greater sense of accomplishment. The Canadian colonial experience is amongst us and its limitations and expectations become part of the landscape in which we measure our successes. That we have actually survived the experience is a measure of our quiet strength."

"I give voice to our resilience through my art, a practice that I measure against a personal standard called UP: Undiluted Potential. I do this because I can." (Yahgulanaas as quoted in Aboriginal Times, 2007).

Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas' Flight of the Hummingbird
The cultural mash-up of Haida Manga is reflected in Flight of the Hummingbird: Manga form meets Haida structure to tell a tale from South America's Quechua people. Here's the 'anime' version of Flight of the Hummingbird:

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References:
Aboriginal Times (2007). Haida Manga. Retrieved from @http://mny.ca/en/2007-haida-manga.html

McCord Museum (2006). Haida Art: Mapping an Ancient Language Exhibition Text. Retrieved from @http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/scripts/explore.php?Lang=1&tableid=11&tablename=theme&elementid=64__true&pageid=ew_1.1&contentlong

mnyhaida (2013). Flight of the hummingbird [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi5u7A9DRAc