Current Generation Carving Apprentice Connects with Traditions of the Past and Shares Aspirations for the Future

The friendly face of Tim Flanery.

NPS Photo/Cinnamon Dockham

Tim Flanery (Gaanax aya yáada) traveled to Sitka, AK from his home in Ketchikan, AK in September of 2021. Following his heart and passion as a carver, Tim accepted an opportunity to work as an apprentice with one of his many mentors, Tommy Joseph, a Tlingit Master Carver, on a project for Sitka National Historical Park. Tim has participated in classes and workshops taught by Tommy in the past, mostly making smaller objects, such as ladles, masks, and paddles. The current apprenticeship will allow him to take his carving skills to a much larger scale than ever before. Over the next several weeks, Tim and Tommy will be transforming an old 25-foot Sitka spruce log into a traditional Tlingit dugout work canoe.

Born in Ketchikan to the Gaanax.ádi clan of the Raven Moiety, from the Mink house (according to Tim, his name translates to “Watcher of the Gaanax.ádi”), Tim’s ancestry on his mother’s side includes Tlingit and Tsimshian heritage through his grandparents from Klawock and Old Metlakatla, and his father was a fisherman of Irish and German descent. The heritage of his family is innately bound to the coastal waters of Southeast Alaska. Tim feels himself drawn to the sea and finds peace in the ocean swells. “Being on the water has always been in my blood” he mused.

Eagle and Raven Canoe paddles, paddle carving taught by Doug Chilton, designed by Tim Flanery and painted with the help of Gianna Willard.

Photo Credit: Tim Flanery

Tim, an Army veteran, Skipper, and dedicated father to three children, started his journey of aspirations to carve later in life than he would have liked. “If I had known about this sooner, I would have chosen this path long ago.” He moved south from his native Ketchikan as a child and was raised with the ethic taught by his uncles, to “work for your retirement check and take care of your future”. During his younger years, Tim served as a mechanic for the Army. In 2001, after his military service, Tim moved back to Ketchikan, where he took on a series jobs, until his most recent work with the Alaska Marine Highway. It was there that he worked his way up from steward and galley cook, to deckhand and eventually through commitment and certification, he earned his way to working in the engine room. Now that he feels he has his future taken care of, he is content to pursue his love of carving and navigating with traditional water vessels. He shares his love for carving and ocean navigation with his children. “They each have their own paddle and have been able to use them."

Tim began his carving journey in 2002 by taking classes at the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan, taught by Ken Decker and Fred Trout. Over the years, Tim took multiple carving classes from the lines of Nathan Jackson, Steve Brown, Donnie Varnell and some personal instruction from his former father-in-law Larry Willard, to foster his enthusiasm for carving. A transformative experience in 2012 brought to him a new sense of purpose, which caused him to think more seriously about his personal pursuit of happiness.

“I was invited by Gianna Willard to participate in the ‘Tribal Canoe Journey’ hosted by the Salish Tribe from Squaxin Island (located in Washington State near Olympia), I was given the opportunity to paddle in the ‘Veteran’s Canoe’, a dugout canoe, “The Lawagilla” donated to the event by the late Chief Frank Nelson from Alert Bay.” It was during this multiday event that Tim became acutely aware of the freedom he obtained with sobriety. “I didn’t plan on becoming sober. This was a sobriety event that I thought I would try. I didn’t know if I would like it.” he said, “It turns out that I really loved being sober. I loved being on the water and sharing stories and really getting to know fellow paddlers. I developed life-long friendships like I never had before. This event really opened up my eyes and ears to the world we live in.” Tim feels that achieving sobriety is an ongoing battle fought by many people of Alaska Native heritage. “Our native populations have been struggling with it since alcohol was introduced to our culture.” Tim shared that, in the past, drinking alcohol was an accepted part of his military and family recreation.

More opportunities presented themselves after that. “I paddled to Celebration three times.” Celebration is a bi-annual event that takes place in Juneau, AK by and for people of Alaska Native heritage that live in Southeast Alaska. Along with the dancing, crafts and food, there is an 8-day canoe trip from Kake, AK to Juneau. “My dream is to someday paddle from Ketchikan to Juneau, making stops in other communities like Kasaan, Petersburg and Wrangell, along the way.”

Tim reminisced about a time, on an unplanned extended paddle on an incredibly smooth day he and friends paddled all the way to Metlakatla. “It was really great because we got to practice the proper protocols for requesting permission to come ashore, and having that permission granted.” They were invited into the long house, sang songs and were given dried fish. This experience had profound meaning for Tim, as he felt his connection to the place and his past. In a moment of visible emotion Tim shared “This is where my Grandfather is from” he said, “I didn’t have this growing up.”

Portrait Mask "Tired Warrior" carved by Tim Flanery as taught by Tommy Joseph.

Photo Credit: Tim Flanery

This apprenticeship, carving a canoe with his mentor, has already been full of learning. “Carving a canoe takes more work than expected, there is a lot of sculpting and shaping being done along the way, rather than at the very end like when you are carving a mask. But I really love it. I love being around the wood and the smell of the wood. I feel like this where I need to be and what I need to be doing, carving canoes.”

When asked “How are you hoping to apply what you are learning?” it was obvious that Tim had been thinking about this, the way his eyes lit up with his answer. “I want to see a flotilla of canoes out there!” He dreams of making a canoe house, with community shared canoes stored inside. “I want to see kids be able to just go in and grab their own small canoes and get out on the water.” Tim’s goal would be to use the canoes as a device to teach his community about the benefits of sobriety and discovering your own purpose.

Parting messages Tim wants to share with the world come from ponderings of his own personal experiences:
“Don’t be afraid to try different careers, don’t let yourself get stuck in one field of employment. Be happy where you work and who you work with or for. Pick up a hobby and have fun doing what you do. If you want to be an artist, spend half of your ‘fun money’ on tools and supplies and soon you’ll become the artist that you wanted to be. And don’t do drugs or alcohol, it really is stupid and a complete waste of time."

Tim’s feels his biggest accomplishment this year was the fruition of land ownership. He recently purchased some land in Ketchikan and looks forward to building a home and carving shop.

More information about the Canoe Carving project that Tim Flanery and Tommy Joseph are working on can be found here. Weekly project updates are available, follow Sitka National Historical Park on Facebook and Instagram.