Tim Paul facts for kids

Tim Paul, born in 1950, is a famous artist. He belongs to the Hesquiaht tribe, part of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth First Nation. He is a master carver from Esperanza Inlet, British Columbia. Tim Paul used to be the main carver at the Royal British Columbia Museum. Later, he helped create a special education program for Indigenous students.

Early Life

Tim Paul was born in Esperanza Inlet. When he was 11, he went to a hospital for treatment. There, he met a man who carved small totem poles. This man gave Tim a carving knife and a piece of wood. That is when Tim made his very first carving.

Tim Paul also went to a residential school. In these schools, many Indigenous children were not allowed to speak their own languages. Because of this, Tim lost some of his ability to speak his language fluently. He knows how important language and stories are to his people. Many of his carvings show themes of language and traditional stories.

Art Career

In 1975, Tim Paul started carving at the Arts of the Raven Studio. He learned from artists Ben Andrews and John Livingston. In 1977, he became an assistant carver. He worked with Richard Hunt at Thunderbird Park. This park is part of the Royal British Columbia Museum.

Seven years later, Tim Paul became the first senior carver at Thunderbird Park who was not from the Hunt family. He worked there until 1992. Then, he left to help create a special learning plan for Indigenous students. This plan was for the Port Alberni school board.

Famous Carvings

While working at Thunderbird Park, Tim Paul made many important totem poles. You can see his work in different places. One of his poles is in the Great Hall of the Canadian Museum of History in Hull, Quebec. Another pole is in Auckland, New Zealand. This pole was a gift to celebrate the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

Tim Paul has also been the main carver for projects in other famous places. He worked on poles for Stanley Park in Vancouver. He also created art for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in England. Besides totem poles, Tim Paul also carves masks and other sculptures. He also makes screen printed art.

In 2019, Tim Paul started a special project. He began carving a Language Revitalization Pole. This pole was asked for by the First Nations Education Foundation. It celebrates the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Language. He used a very old cedar log, about 800 years old. This totem pole will show the ten important relationships of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth people.

Gallery

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  Kakaso'Las totem pole at Stanley Park, Vancouver, Canada

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  1982 totem pole at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, England

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  Totem poles at the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, Middlesbrough, England

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  The North Shore totem (1990) in Auckland, New Zealand

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  Haida Pole (1984) in Thunderbird Park, Victoria, Canada