The Illustrations of Janine Gibbons [Haida], the of Sk’ad’a Stories Series—Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii
Janine’s approach really exemplifies an Indigenous world view, experiential learning, and being one with the land. Through her process, she truly brings her culture alive! The artwork, together with the text, allows the reader to immerse themselves fully in this beautiful story.
Contributed by Colette Poitras (Métis Nation of Alberta)
Chair, From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books
As you read the books in From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books, something that might strike you is how the books welcome readers into a world view with such warmth and openness—and the generosity of the creators in doing so. This was exemplified in our conversation with Janine Gibbons [Haida], illustrator of Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii, which is featured in the catalogue.
We were honoured to be invited into Janine Gibbons’ live/work space (albeit virtually), on Mitkof Island in Petersburg, a small fishing community in Southeast Alaska to chat about her art and illustrating the Sk’ad’a Stories series, written by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson, and published by HighWater Press.
In welcoming, Janine tells us: Petersburg is also known as Séet Ká Kwáan. Séet Ká Kwáan means ‘People of the Fast Moving Water’ by the original inhabitants, the Lingít /Tlingit along with Haida and Tsimshian, at various points in time. We have very fast moving water with the tides around here and the southernmost tidewater glacier ‘Hutli,’ also known as LeConte Glacier, which borders the Stikine River and Canadian border. ‘Hutli’ means the sound of the flapping of a Thunderbirds Wings.
The Sk’ad’a Stories series of four books are based on Haida visual artist and master carver Robert Davidson’s own childhood experiences as shared with co-author, and daughter, Sara Florence Davidson. Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii draws upon Robert’s memories of being out on the ocean for the day, with his grandfather.
For Janine, illustrating the books in the series was a process inspired by her ancestors, researching Haida artifacts and Sk’ad’a Principles which include respect for authentic experiences, curiosity, power of the mind, history and story, and spirituality and protocol.
It is a process that “isn’t just about illustrating the story, it is about living your culture” and the books “are not just books, they say to the reader that our ancestors have been here forever, and they are still with us, and their stories are not lost…”
As described by Janine, the books are more realistic “because I had to experience it realistically; to get knowledge in these ways where you have epiphanies by living life…”
Images from the Illustrative Process: When I Start Illustrating, I Go—and Am With—the Elements
The beautifulness of this story is that my neighbour built the boat that is in the book. I wanted to experience what it was like to jig for a halibut in a wooden dinghy; to go out on the ocean and try to experience that myself. I wanted to understand that kind of quiet and what it is like being with your grandfather—fishing for a halibut in a wood boat, which is not easy. In Haida Gwaii, they’re on the ocean. What is it like to go with your tsinii, in a hand-built wooden boat, and to trust it to bring you out onto the ocean? And what happens when you’re out there? The seagulls come in to check you out… the birds will tell you a lot about what’s happening out on the ocean.
I didn’t have a halibut, so I made a full-size paper halibut that I walked around with on the beach. I took this paper halibut with me everywhere. We have a canoe that was abandoned on the harbour… I hung out in the canoe and I hung out in the water and then I hung out with the boat and my paper halibut and with Sara’s words of her father; he was dictating and she was writing and remembering.
I was sitting out there with the boat, thinking about how would Robert have experienced this? The story is a timepiece. But we use a lot of the same things still to this day. Those thermoses are still used. It means a lot when you’re on a boat and you’ve got something hot. And so, I wanted the energy of that so you were experiencing it yourself: When you’re really cold and you’re fishing and you’re waiting for something to warm you up. I wanted everyone to be present so they are experiencing it, too…
Janine Gibbons, a Haida Raven of the Double-Fin Killer Whale Clan, Brown Bear House, is a multi-disciplinary artist and award-winning illustrator. Janine’s works are inspired by the waters and lands of the Pacific Northwest, and their myriad colours, energies, and languages. Janine graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle and Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Janine has illustrated four books in the Sealaska Heritage’s Baby Raven Reads series, including Raven Makes the Aleutians, an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book, and most recently Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana ‘Láanaa aa Isdáayaan (The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales), which is entirely in the Haida language Xaad Kíl.
The four books in the Sk’ad’a Stories series, written by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson, and published by HighWater Press are: Dancing With Our Ancestors, Returning to the Yakoun River, Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii and Learning to Carve Argillite.
Please check out Janine’s website featuring her artwork and jewellery and the beautiful sunshine of the west coast.
Also, please stay tuned for Janine’s upcoming projects, which include illustration and writing projects exploring ancient oceanic migration routes, artifacts, technologies, and connections with the Kānaka Maoli of Hawaii —from Haida Gwaii the first stop of ancient routes was Hawai’I, the bellybutton of the Pacific—and Māori of Aeoteroa (New Zealand).
Living Your Culture
The Illustrations of Janine Gibbons [Haida], the of Sk’ad’a Stories Series—Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii
Janine’s approach really exemplifies an Indigenous world view, experiential learning, and being one with the land. Through her process, she truly brings her culture alive! The artwork, together with the text, allows the reader to immerse themselves fully in this beautiful story.
Contributed by Colette Poitras (Métis Nation of Alberta)
Chair, From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books
As you read the books in From Sea to Sea to Sea: Celebrating Indigenous Picture Books, something that might strike you is how the books welcome readers into a world view with such warmth and openness—and the generosity of the creators in doing so. This was exemplified in our conversation with Janine Gibbons [Haida], illustrator of Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii, which is featured in the catalogue.
We were honoured to be invited into Janine Gibbons’ live/work space (albeit virtually), on Mitkof Island in Petersburg, a small fishing community in Southeast Alaska to chat about her art and illustrating the Sk’ad’a Stories series, written by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson, and published by HighWater Press.
The Sk’ad’a Stories series of four books are based on Haida visual artist and master carver Robert Davidson’s own childhood experiences as shared with co-author, and daughter, Sara Florence Davidson. Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii draws upon Robert’s memories of being out on the ocean for the day, with his grandfather.
For Janine, illustrating the books in the series was a process inspired by her ancestors, researching Haida artifacts and Sk’ad’a Principles which include respect for authentic experiences, curiosity, power of the mind, history and story, and spirituality and protocol.
It is a process that “isn’t just about illustrating the story, it is about living your culture” and the books “are not just books, they say to the reader that our ancestors have been here forever, and they are still with us, and their stories are not lost…”
As described by Janine, the books are more realistic “because I had to experience it realistically; to get knowledge in these ways where you have epiphanies by living life…”
Images from the Illustrative Process: When I Start Illustrating, I Go—and Am With—the Elements
The beautifulness of this story is that my neighbour built the boat that is in the book. I wanted to experience what it was like to jig for a halibut in a wooden dinghy; to go out on the ocean and try to experience that myself. I wanted to understand that kind of quiet and what it is like being with your grandfather—fishing for a halibut in a wood boat, which is not easy. In Haida Gwaii, they’re on the ocean. What is it like to go with your tsinii, in a hand-built wooden boat, and to trust it to bring you out onto the ocean? And what happens when you’re out there? The seagulls come in to check you out… the birds will tell you a lot about what’s happening out on the ocean.
I didn’t have a halibut, so I made a full-size paper halibut that I walked around with on the beach. I took this paper halibut with me everywhere. We have a canoe that was abandoned on the harbour… I hung out in the canoe and I hung out in the water and then I hung out with the boat and my paper halibut and with Sara’s words of her father; he was dictating and she was writing and remembering.
Janine Gibbons, a Haida Raven of the Double-Fin Killer Whale Clan, Brown Bear House, is a multi-disciplinary artist and award-winning illustrator. Janine’s works are inspired by the waters and lands of the Pacific Northwest, and their myriad colours, energies, and languages. Janine graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle and Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. Janine has illustrated four books in the Sealaska Heritage’s Baby Raven Reads series, including Raven Makes the Aleutians, an American Indian Youth Literature Award Honor Book, and most recently Nang Jáadaa Sg̱áana ‘Láanaa aa Isdáayaan (The Woman Carried Away by Killer Whales), which is entirely in the Haida language Xaad Kíl.
The four books in the Sk’ad’a Stories series, written by Sara Florence Davidson and Robert Davidson, and published by HighWater Press are: Dancing With Our Ancestors, Returning to the Yakoun River, Jigging for Halibut with Tsinii and Learning to Carve Argillite.
Please check out Janine’s website featuring her artwork and jewellery and the beautiful sunshine of the west coast.
Also, please stay tuned for Janine’s upcoming projects, which include illustration and writing projects exploring ancient oceanic migration routes, artifacts, technologies, and connections with the Kānaka Maoli of Hawaii —from Haida Gwaii the first stop of ancient routes was Hawai’I, the bellybutton of the Pacific—and Māori of Aeoteroa (New Zealand).
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