Argillite Bear Mother Sculpture By Gryn White of Massett
Gryn White- Duugw.is
Gryn White (Duugwi.is) is a part of the Yaghulaanas clan. His great great grandfather was Charles Edenshaw (Tahayghen) and was chief of the StA’stas eagle clan. From birth Gryn White has been surrounded by Haida art and culture and began his own hands-on practice in his early teens by shaping out pendants for his father Greg White, another renowned Haida artist.
Once completing high school, Gryn decided to move from Old Masset to Vancouver, in order to pursue fine arts courses at Langara College. At Langara he learned how to appreciate all art forms and the stories that they are inspired by. This led him to appreciate his own knowledge of Haida culture and histories that can be incorporated into his own artistic creations. During his time at Langara he also took a special interest in contemporary art and was enveloped with learning about and being able to identify shape, symmetry, negative space, line and form. He then took these new learned skills and incorporated them into his own Haida designs, applying the new principles to the rules of formline design. Gryn has established a strong presence in traditional Haida artwork, it’s also been a goal of his to represent and honour traditional styles and forms while also applying his own unique perspective and style. He tries to find a balance between the tension of creativity
Gryn has been particularly inspired by his great, great, Grandfather Charles Edenshaw. Through studying some of Edenshaw’s pieces such as argillite boxes, plates, and various museum collections, Gryn was extremely impressed in the ways that Edenshaw was able to bring their traditional stories to life through his sculptures. He acknowledges the commendable impact that Charles Edenshaw had on Northwest Coast art in general and finds much pride in unveiling his heritage through the same process. Another branch of strong inspiration came from his father Greg White. Having a father immersed in a professional art career of his own, Gryn was always exposed to the Haida art world, and it became a second nature to him even before embarking on the creative journey himself.
The creation process typically starts with stories forming daydreams, then culminating to a two-dimensional formline design on paper. Sketching these designs allows him to solve any problems that may arise before taking it to the argillite itself. For example, establishing balance, proportions and any stylistic problems. But sometimes this process isn’t quite as linear. Gryn has also described feeling connected to the stone and allowing certain stone to establish their own designs, inspiring him with their shape. Gryn also enjoys adding different elements to his argillite sculptures, such as accents of abalone inlays for eyes, or catlinite inlays to indicate and emphasize supernatural encounters. Using these components adds a level of depth and wisdom to Gryn White’s pieces that cannot be overlooked.
The Bear Mother (Haida Story - Short Version)
Long ago, a young woman walked through the forest and spoke carelessly about the bears. She
showed them no respect. The bears heard her. That night, a bear came to her in the form of a man and
took her to live among his people. She became his wife and, in time, gave birth to two cubs—children
who were both human and bear. She lived with them for years and learned their ways—their strength,
their intelligence, and the deep respect they held for life. One day, her human brothers came hunting.
They found the bear and killed him, not knowing who he truly was. As he lay dying, he told her what to
say and how to honor him, so that peace between humans and bears would not be broken. She
returned to her village with her two sons. From that time on, the people remembered: bears are not just
animals. They are close to us—and must always be treated with respect.
