Hummingbird

Black resin composite totem

The elite material of choice for small totems would be argillite. Argillite is a slate that is only found on a remote mountainside in the Slatechuck Valley of Graham Island on Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands). At the end of the 18th century Haida carvers began to elaborately carve exclusively in argillite to satisfy the demands of Victorian collectors who understood the rarity of the dense material. In this century argillite use has become cost prohibitive. This Totem was made from a composite material that simulates the look and feel of argillite; this composite is a faithful reproduction of the material used in the original carving.