Wayne Carlick, a Taku River Tlingit elder, recently rediscovered a face he carved into a tree decades ago [1, 2].
The discovery highlights the enduring connection between Indigenous peoples and their ancestral lands, as well as the physical persistence of cultural markers in the wilderness.
Carlick found the carving on his traditional Taku River Tlingit territory in northwestern British Columbia [1, 2]. He originally created the etching to mark his traditional territory [1, 2]. Over time, the tree grew, and a thick layer of bark eventually covered the artwork, hiding it from view for years.
The elder uncovered the image 30 years [1] after he first made the carving. Upon finding the face still intact beneath the bark, Carlick compared the experience to a cinematic adventure.
"It felt like I was Indiana Jones," Carlick said [1].
The act of marking territory with carvings is a way of documenting presence and heritage within the landscape. For Carlick, the rediscovery served as a tangible link to his younger self, and the history of the land he continues to steward [1, 2].
“"It felt like I was Indiana Jones."”
The rediscovery of the carving illustrates how biological growth can encapsulate human history, effectively archiving cultural markers within living organisms. In the context of Indigenous land rights and stewardship, such markers serve as physical evidence of long-term occupancy and the spiritual and historical mapping of traditional territories.
