Across the continent, Indigenous peoples are methodically reclaiming control over their land, laws and way of life.

Landback. Tla-o-qui-aht, British Columbia

The red cedar log was about six feet long, three feet high and nearly as wide. Gordon Dick trimmed its rounded top. The chainsaw bit into the wood, spraying sawdust. Donning noise-cancelling headphones, Joe Martin leaned against the log to watch where the saw blade would emerge. The air gradually filled with the sharp, almost medicinal scent of cedar.

J. Martin is a Tla-o-qui-aht artist from the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Gordon Dick, also a carver, is from the neighbouring Tseshaht nation. They were preparing for the upcoming statue of a sitting wolf – a short totem pole. Nearby, two larger poles, almost finished, can already be seen, standing 24 and 30 feet tall. On one side of each pole, symbolic figures are visible: bears, suns, mythical sea serpents, and wolves.
Photography by Kiliii Yüyan