Master Carver Noel Brown

Cedar resident continues to carve a name for himself

BY KERITH WADDINGTON

Master Carver Noel Brown Photo: Kerith Waddington

The latest work by Cedar resident and internationally-renowned Master Carver Noel Brown justifiably has his name on it.

But Brown himself acknowledges that the 31-foot-high red cedar pole recently unveiled at Nanaimo’s new firehall on Fitzwilliam Street represents the collective expression of his ancestral beliefs, his family and friends and the efforts of many helpful hands.

He says the pole brought together the curious and the supportive who stopped by to swap neighbourly news and lend a hand while it sat in his front yard for the better part of the past year.

In fact, the creation of a pole, as in days gone by, is really a community effort, laughs Brown.

“Whether I wanted it or not, people were always dropping by to see what I was working on and to lend a hand if they could,” he says. “The whole neighbourhood will have a sense of ownership when this goes up, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The pole on Fitzwilliam Street is as full of stories as the well-wishers who dropped by during its creation.

The eagle, bear and wolf on the pole are known to the Coast Salish as protectors, “which is what the firefighters are for us,” says Brown. “And the Bentwood Box on the pole represents a container that holds all that we cherish, which is what our homes do,” he adds.

Why was a howling wolf put at the top? “Wolves have strong family ties, but they won’t hesitate to call for help if they need it,” says Brown. “And that’s what people do when they call the fi re department. They are calling for help.”

Work on the pole did not begin until the Snuneymuxw Elders approved the design, many elements of which were crafted by Brown’s own son Ritchie.

Brown says he is proud of his son’s input, and to have been commissioned to do the pole, which was unveiled on June 21, the National Day for Indigenous Peoples.

“I feel super lucky and very blessed to have been asked to create this for the City of Nanaimo,” says Brown, whose work can be seen at several locations in the central island area. Many people will know his work from the impressive 49foot welcome pole that greets visitors to Spirit Square in downtown Nanaimo’s Swy-a-Lana Park, the site of an ancestral Snuneymuxw village.

Brown is a member of the Coast Salish and Kwagulth people. He began carving in 1995: he was taught by his cousins Richard and Mathew Baker after their close cousin, best friend and prominent Northwest Coast artist James Christopher Lewis passed away.

Brown remembers his uncle fondly. “I love him and hope to be half as good as he was,” he says. “He was a very kind, caring soul. And I can’t ever thank Richard and Mathew for taking me in and teaching me. I can never repay what they have done for me and my family.”

Asked what keeps him going after so many years of carving, Brown says he still loves the craft. “I wake up happy and am always learning new things,” he says.

Courting an international reputation and a large following, this humble Cedar resident chuckles when he says, “My father is almost ready to admit I didn’t turn out too badly.”