During the groundbreaking Charles Edenshaw exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 2013, poet Colin Browne found himself returning often to study three large argillite platters carved by the Haida master in the late 1800s. Produced several years apart, each depicts an identical scene at the same moment: two frightened figures in a canoe appear to be on a mission. One is the Raven, in supernatural form, brandishing a spear; the other, in the stern, is a human-like figure with a circular head. On one platter he holds a paddle; on the other, two his arms are raised in a state of panic. He is the helmsman, known as Fungus, or Fungus Man, or Biscuit Man.
Browne launches his unexpected journey of discovery with a simple question: “Who was Fungus, or Fungus Man, and why did he become the one responsible for the miracle of human procreation?” Every good story is an origin story — and a mystery story — and in Entering Time: The Fungus Man Platters of Charles Edenshaw, Browne ranges through the fields of art history, literature, ethnology, and myth to discover a parallel history of modernism within one of the world’s most subtle and sophisticated artistic and literary cultures.
“Colin Browne provides a thoughtful, provocative analysis of Charles Edenshaw’s depictions of Raven’s journey to help fulfill women, and in doing so, contemplates humanity’s existence.”—Gid7ahl-Gudsllaay, Lalaxaaygans, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson
“Browne’s masterful drawing-together of ... sources, his astute observations, creative speculations, and poetic writing combine to give a new perspective on three masterpieces of Haida art.”—Martha Black, BC Studies
Colin Browne’s most recent book of poetry, Here, was published by Talonbooks in September 2020. His extended essay, Entering Time: The Fungus Man Platters of Charles Edenshaw (Talonbooks, 2016), is a poetic exploration of three argillite platters made by Haida artist Da.a xiigang (Charles Edenshaw) between 1885 and 1895.
…Our newest arrival is Colin Browne’s Entering Time: The Fungus Man Platters of Charles Edenshaw, an … and literary cultures. Read selections from Entering Time on Meta-Talon, and order your copy for $19.95. …
…watch for Colin Browne’s new book of essays, Entering Time: The Fungus Man Platters of Charles Edenshaw . … is an origin story — and a mystery story — and in Entering Time, Browne ranges through the fields of art history, …