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Nuu-chah-nulth Playing Cards
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Nuu-chah-nulth Playing Cards designed by Tla-o-qui-aht Artist Hjalmer Wenstob and his wife Annika This is a full deck of 52 cards, with animals and their Nuu-chah-nulth names included on each card. There’s also an extra card included with a few phrases to help play čiicči (go fish!) in Nuu-chah-nulth.
Annika Benoit-Jansson is Mi’kmaw, from the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nations, as well as French, Irish and Swedish. Annika has a Child and Youth Care (CYC) undergraduate degree and Master’s degree from the University of Victoria (UVic). She has been learning the Nuu-chah-nulth language for the last 4 years, and has completed the Indigenous Language Fluency Certificate Program through North Island College (NIC). In the last 3 years, she has co-created five short children’s books with Hjalmer Wenstob and Timmy Masso, incorporating Nuu-chah-nulth language and imagery. She currently works with Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations, as the Nuu-chah-nulth language planner.
Tlehpik Hjalmer Wenstob is an interdisciplinary artist who specializes in sculpture and carving. He is Nuu-chah-nulth from the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations on his dad's side, and Norwegian and English on his mum’s side. Hjalmer completed both an undergraduate and master's degree in Fine Art at the University of Victoria, and in 2017, Hjalmer and his family opened Cedar House Gallery in Ucluelet, B.C. Recently he has been working on putting art back in Tla-o-qui-aht territory, and has carved and installed 8 place-marker poles, as well as a 26-foot totem pole and a Welcome Sign to the territory.