There is a photograph I have looked at my whole life.

It was taken around 1880 in Skidegate, Haida Gwaii — by a missionary, or one of the reverends who came to "save us." The people in it were instructed to put on what was left of their regalia. To stand together. To be documented. This photograph is believed to mark the last time they were allowed to wear it.

Front row, seated far left: Elizabeth Bell. Next to her: Jeannie Young. My great-great-grandmothers. My matriline.

What Was Kept

The songs went quiet. The crests, the ceremonies, the language, the dances — they were kept in the bodies and memories of people who refused to let them die, even when the law said they must.

My mother grew up with a deep sense of pride and reverence for our culture. She passed that to me. I passed it to Marlo.

Marlo — Xaayłingtso, sunbeam breaking through the storm clouds — learned to screenprint at 14. She learned Northwest Coast art forms from her uncle Jesse (Skil Xaaw) and her step-father Andy Everson. She earned a B.A. in Anthroplogy. She learned copper making and bentwood box making from the best. She has dedicated years learning our Haida language. This year- her most ambitious project yet-- carving a totem pole for our Matriarch. The first Clan pole in nearly 200 years.

The Laana Tsaadas clan held our first feast in over 150 years in 2022. Our lineage is coming alive again — not as novelty-- but as a living, breathing, growing thing.

Why We Make Blankets

In Northwest Coast culture, blankets have never been just blankets.

They are gifts. They mark relationship. They are given at ceremony — to guests, to witnesses, to family. A blanket given at a feast carries the weight of what that moment means. It says: you were here. This was witnessed. We honour you.

When Andy and I began reviving our marriage ceremony — a full two-part ceremony that had not been practiced in our lineages for generations — blankets were central to that revival. At our 2022 Clan Feast, Andy gifted stacks of blankets as my bride price. Those blankets were then given away to the guests. That is the tradition. That is what blankets do.

Photo: Roberta Aiken

In 2024, when Marlo and Karver formalized their relationship in ceremony, Karver gifted Andy a stack of blankets for Marlo's bride price. The tradition continued — carried forward by the next generation.

This is why we make blankets at Totem Design House, because blankets are alive with meaning in our culture.

What Comes Back

Last September, I was in Haida Gwaii at a potlatch. A children's dance group from Vancouver had been invited to perform — most of them visiting our territory for the very first time.

They danced in regalia made from our Chilkat fleece blankets.

To watch those children move across that floor, on that land, in regalia that connected them to something older than any of them could fully understand — it was heartwarming. A homecoming for children who had never been home.

This is what we are building at Totem Design House. Not just a brand. We are not just creating salable "products" we are creating a bridge back to functional objects that hold cultural significance.

Our blankets have been used in blanketing ceremonies across the country. They have been transformed into regalia by urban dance groups. They have traveled to places and held meaning in moments that we never anticipated when we first started making them. 

This Month

June is Indigenous History Month in Canada.

For us, every month at Totem Design House is Indigenous History Month — the history we carry, the culture we practice, the language we are reclaiming, the ceremonies we are bringing back.

But June is a good time to say it plainly: this work matters. The photograph of Elizabeth Bell and Jeannie Young matters. The names matter. The regalia they were allowed to wear one last time matters.

And so does every step we take from that moment toward this one.

If you want to be part of this work — if you want to support the artists, the language revitalization, the ceremonies, the next generation — we are grateful for every way you show up.

Every dollar spent at Totem Design House supports our cultural revitalization efforts. And 10% of our annual profits go directly to the Copper Legacy Indigenous Empowerment Society.

Shop our Premium Fleece Blankets →

Haw'aa,
Erin Kalga Jaad
Totem Design House

Totem Design House is a proudly Indigenous-owned and operated lifestyle brand founded by Haida and Cree entrepreneur Erin Brillon, based on K'ómoks First Nation territory in Comox Valley, BC.