George johnson

Aikemuya George Johnson is a W’ui’kinuxv Elder fluent in the ’Uik̓ala language. He is a talented Artist and Master Carver. George remembers and is grateful to his father, Akeyuma Jack Johnson. As a historian Jack encouraged his son not to forget anything. He was the one who encouraged George to paint. When it became difficult for Jack to see his own artwork, he asked George to start carving for him, providing constant guidance and direction. “What a unique connection between heaven and earth!”

Aikemuya is the name and dance that was passed down to George from his father, Jack. It is one of many dance names that Jack Johnson had shared. According to George, a four-series dance cycle is performed by ceremonial dancers of W’ui’kinuxv. Each dance is carried out four times and then passed on. The first dance in the series (Yaiktualis, sub-born) was named Yaikemuya, meaning bad, mean or crazy. When this dance is performed it removes any negative energy that is present and disposes of it into the fire. The second dance in the series is Nuanlhcistala (fool or fire throwing dance). This dance is a way of showing that we can as humans can go beyond what we think we are capable of. In this dance, George’s father spent four months training in the forest to be able to retrieve the coals from a fire with his bare hands, throw the coals on the dance floor and dance on the fire coals with his bare feet. This is a show of strength. The third dance in the series (Caiga, Haemca), Athaqiem, meaning going to the woods, is a way of reconnecting to the earthly spirit (cannibal dance) and maintaining balance. Aikemuya (meaning good healer) is the last dance in the four-year dance series. The fourth dance series is known as Hailikela, the healing dance. It is another way of cleansing and maintaining balance. The last in the series introduces an energy throwing dance that gathers any negative energy through the motion of throwing energy. This concludes after four cycles of energy movement repeated four times.

George has been carving for over 30 years and now creates in his home carving workshop on the Waanukv (river). His projects have included helping to build the ceremonial House of Nuùw̓aqawa, totems and wolf and eagle masks. George works with H’aiagal’ath Grizzly Bear Tours because he supports the culture and sustainability principles that are the foundation for H’aiagal’ath’s business.