Her ancestors were carvers, but she's never seen some of their works in person — until now

CBC

14-06-2025

Last year, Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw artist Lou-ann Ika'wega Neel decided to get serious about teaching herself to carve.
"My hands have always wanted to carve, but my mind kept getting in the way. And other people's opinions and thoughts about it kept getting in my way. And now, I don't care. I want to carve. I need to carve," she says in the video above.
Neel's great-great-grandfather Charlie Yakuglas James was a well-respected and much-commissioned artist of his era. Many of his iconic works can be seen in museum collections around the world.
Her grandmother Ellen Kakasolas Neel was a professional carver who received totem pole commissions from around the world.
In this video, Neel visits the Museum of Anthropology at UBC and the Museum of Vancouver to get up close and personal with some of her ancestors' works.
"I get so emotional around these pieces because I didn't get to meet my grandparents, and it's like I am getting to spend really quality time with them, knowing that their hands were all over this. I just really feel their energy," she says.