65. Mi-Tak
Markers

Mi Tak (markers) refers to the practice of using the shapes of distant mountain tops to navigate canoes to specific spots in the ocean for fishing or to return home. The shapes of mountains would become more blurred with distance or with storms and the universal terms to identify positions in relation to the shoreline would change. The two eagles in this sculpture refer to the mountain tops above Esperanza Inlet on the western shore of Vancouver Island and have been used as markers for the village for centuries.

Tim Paul

Featured in Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast, by Ian M. Thom, 2009.