Christie Harris
Encyclopedia
Christie Lucy Harris, CM
(November 21, 1907 – January 5, 2002) was a Canadian
children's author. She is best known for her portrayal of Haida First Nations culture in the 1966 novel Raven's Cry.
She was led to investigate Northwest Coast cultures after moving to Prince Rupert, British Columbia
, in 1958 and writing a series of CBC
dramas on First Nations topics. She received a Canada Council
grant to work with the Haida artist Bill Reid
in researching the life and context of the great Haida carver Charles Edenshaw
. In this she worked closely with Wilson Duff
and, in Masset, B.C.
, with Edenshaw's daughter Florence Davidson
.
Her 1975 book Sky Man on the Totem Pole? applies the "ancient astronaut" theories of Erich von Däniken
to Northwest Coast oral histories.
In 1980, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada
. In 1973, she was awarded the Vicky Metcalf Award
.
Three months after her death, the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize was announced as a new BC Book Prize
category.
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
(November 21, 1907 – January 5, 2002) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
children's author. She is best known for her portrayal of Haida First Nations culture in the 1966 novel Raven's Cry.
She was led to investigate Northwest Coast cultures after moving to Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
, in 1958 and writing a series of CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
dramas on First Nations topics. She received a Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
grant to work with the Haida artist Bill Reid
Bill Reid
William Ronald Reid, OBC was a Canadian artist whose works included jewelry, sculpture, screen-printing, and painting. His work is featured on the Canadian $20 banknote.-Biography:...
in researching the life and context of the great Haida carver Charles Edenshaw
Charles Edenshaw
Charles Edenshaw was a Haida artist from Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, Canada. He is known for his woodcarving, argillite carving, jewellery, and painting.-Background:...
. In this she worked closely with Wilson Duff
Wilson Duff
Wilson Duff was a Canadian archaeologist, cultural anthropologist, and museum curator.He is remembered for his research on First Nations cultures of the Northwest Coast, notably the Tsimshian, Gitxsan, and Haida, and especially for his interest in their plastic arts, such as totem poles...
and, in Masset, B.C.
Masset, British Columbia
Masset , formerly Massett, is a village in Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Columbia. It is the western terminus of the Yellowhead Highway...
, with Edenshaw's daughter Florence Davidson
Florence Davidson
Florence Edenshaw Davidson was a Canadian First Nations artist from the Haida nation who created traditional basketry and button-blankets and was also a respected elder in her First Nations community, the Haida village of Masset, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia.She was born in Masset on...
.
Her 1975 book Sky Man on the Totem Pole? applies the "ancient astronaut" theories of Erich von Däniken
Erich von Däniken
Erich Anton Paul von Däniken is a Swiss author best known for his controversial claims about extraterrestrial influences on early human culture, in books such as Chariots of the Gods?, published in 1968...
to Northwest Coast oral histories.
In 1980, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. In 1973, she was awarded the Vicky Metcalf Award
Vicky Metcalf Award
The Vicky Metcalf Award is awarded to a writer whose body of work has been "inspirational to Canadian youth." It is one of the top awards for Canadian children's writers. The award was named after Vicky Metcalf...
.
Three months after her death, the Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize was announced as a new BC Book Prize
BC Book Prizes
The BC Book Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia writers and publishers.The seven Prizes, plus The Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence, are presented annually at the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Book Prize Gala in April.The Prizes are administered...
category.
Selected bibliography
- Cariboo Trail (1957)
- Once Upon a Totem (1963)
- You Have to Draw the Line Somewhere (1964)
- West with the White Chiefs (1965)
- Raven's Cry (1966; reissued 1992)
- Confessions of a Toe-Hanger (1967)
- Forbidden Frontier (1968)
- Let X Be Excitement (1969)
- Figleafing Through History: The Dynamics of Dress (1971, with Moira Johnston)
- Secret in the Stlalakum Wild (1972)
- Mule Lib (1972, with Tom Harris)
- Sky Man on the Totem Pole? (1975)
- Mouse Woman and the Mischief Makers (1977)
- Mouse Woman and the Muddle-heads (1979)
- The Trouble with Adventurers (1982)
- Something Weird Is Going On (1994)