William White

“In 2008, William White was given the hereditary house chief’s name Tsymiyaanbiin (Barnacles on the Belly of the Supernatural Being) at a potlatch held for Marvin Wesley to assume his chiefly name, La’as.”

Excerpt from Challenging Traditions, Ian Thom, 2009.

William lives in northern British Columbia. His Tsimshian name is Lii Am Laxuu and he is a member of the Raven Clan of the Git-wil-gyoots, which translates as “the people of the seaweed.” A weaver for twenty-three years, he has also been a dedicated teacher for more than a decade, with a particular interest in supporting the growing interest in Tsimshian weaving and the return of weaving as a cultural and personal statement at ceremonies. He has travelled throughout the Tsimshian Nation and smaller villages, promoting and teaching traditional weaving. He is proud to be a Chilkat weaver and honoured to be a carrier of the traditional knowledge among the people of the Tsimshian Nation. He publicly wove a robe at the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology as part of the educational program “My Ancestors Are Still Dancing,” and this robe is now in the permanent collection of the museum.

Excerpt from Manawa—Pacific Heartbeat, 2005.