Bill Helin

Bill Helen /həˈliːn/ is a Canadian artist, teacher, and designer in the Northwest Coast style and a member of the Tsimshian First Nation of northwestern British Columbia. His ancestry is from the Gits'iis tribe in the village of Lax Kw'alaams, B.C. His father was Arthur Helen-(pronounced Hel-een) (Haymaas). And his father was a leader of a tribe.

His accomplishments include designing the patch worn by astronauts on the U.S. space shuttle Columbia in 1996 and the carving of the world's largest (180' 3" tall) totem pole known as the Spirit of Lekwammen, carved for the Commonwealth Games.

He is a cousin to the author Calvin Helin, whose 2006 book, Dances with Dependency, he illustrated.

Sources

Helin, Calvin (2006) Dances with Dependency: Indigenous Success through Self-Reliance. Vancouver: Orca Spirit Publishing and Communications.

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