1. Visual + Decorative Arts A Revival

3. No Word for Art  Why does Hahl Yee/Doreen Jensen, Gitxsan artist, state on page 241 in your textbook that First Nations languages have no word for art?  Read the excerpt and brainstorm ideas.  Be prepared to share your thoughts.

4. What is Art?  There are two ways that the treasured objects of First Nations societies have been classified as = 1.artifacts/material culture/crafts (at contact) 2.works of art (today)

5. Art Rooted in Spirit and Nature  In First Nations cultures, art is not a distinct discipline.  Art is integrated into the daily and spiritual life of the people; part of the fabric of everyday life.  Art is an expression of culture.

6. Art Rooted in Spirit and Nature  Historically, BC First Nations art was based on shamanism.  The visual form was a way to communicate with the supernatural or spiritual worlds, or to try to bring balance and harmony between the natural and the human world.

7. Art Rooted in Spirit and Nature  Visual art was also an important way to identify their ancestors and acknowledge their history, as well as display wealth or status with treasured objects such as poles or button blankets.

8. Art Rooted in Spirit and Nature  First Nations cultures in BC have produced diverse art forms.  Interior cultures expressed their spiritual beliefs and their connection with the land through their clothing, face-painting, and jewelry.

9. Art Rooted in Spirit and Nature  The more structured societies of the coast gave rise to highly evolved artistic traditions that include masks and monumental arts such as totem poles, house posts, and house fronts.

10. Stone and Sculpture on the BC Coast Skill, Strength, Patience, and Artistic Purpose

11. Stone Art + Sculpture  The earliest examples of artistic expression in BC are found in stone art, in the form of rock carvings, rock paintings, and sculptural figures created from stone.

12. Stone Art + Sculpture  Stone tools are the oldest expressions found in BC; they have been recovered dating back to 10,000 years and stone objects from the last 5,000 years.  They are both practical and ceremonial – bowls, mortars, hammers, and clubs – and required great skill, strength, patience and an artistic purpose to create.

13. Tsimshian Twin Stone Masks

14. Rock Paintings  Rock was used as a canvas throughout the province, although no rock paintings have been found in the Peace River region.  The southern interior (Stein Valley, Seton Creek, South Okanagan, Similkameen) has the highest concentration of painted images on rock known as pictographs.

15. Rock Paintings  Most are found on granite rock on single rock faces or single boulders along the shores of lakes or along river banks, often as high as eighth metres above the water.  The rock artists knew how to make paints that have lasted hundreds of years while exposed to weather.

16. Rock Paintings  Most are found on granite rock on single rock faces or single boulders along the shores of lakes or along river banks, often as high as eighth metres above the water.  The rock artists knew how to make paints made of mineral pigments that have lasted hundreds of years while exposed to weather.

17. Rock Paintings  The most common colour was red from a material called ochre which contains a high quantity of iron mixed with clay.  Ochre can come in many different hues including reds, browns, and yellows.

18. Rock Paintings  Black was made from charcoal or soot.  Other colours found less commonly in pictographs were green, white and yellow.  The ochre was baked in a fire, crushed into powder and mix with other ingredients.

19. Near the Fraser River in Lillooet

20. Between Terrace + Prince Rupert by the Skeena River

21. Rock Carvings  Etching into rocks, called petroglyphs, are generally found along the coast on beaches or river banks.  They can be simple images, with pecked hole resembling a face, to complex images that show what looks like animals or supernatural creatures.

22. Rock Carvings  Often these designs use the characteristic shape of an ovoid = shaped like and egg.  Near Bella Coola there is a cluster of over 100 carvings, while at Gitga’at on Douglas Channel there are more than 200 images.

23. Rock Carvings  One of the most unique sites is Clo-ose on the west coast of Vancouver Island.  The dozens of images include a number of sailing ships, and a person riding a horse.

24. Ancient Petroglyphs Of The Nuxalt First Nations near Bella Coola

25. Visual Arts of the Interior Flexibility, Travel, Survival and Artistic Expression

26. Interior Visual Arts  The traditional lifestyle of most of BC’s interior First Nations demanded flexibility and ease of travel.  People could only carry what they needed for survival such as clothing, tools, daily utensils and weapons and these were made with great skill and decorated in a way that reflected the people and the land.

27. Clothing  Clothing was the most vital form of personal adornment, communicated peoples place in society, and displayed the skill of the weaver and the weavers status and wealth.  Clothing was the supreme expression of skill and artistry for women, as they played the principle role in its creation.

28. Clothing  Most clothing in the interior was made from the skins of deer, moose and caribou, with some even made from salmon skin.  In the southern interior, sophistically designed clothing were woven from natural fibers made from hemp dogbane, cedar, sagebrush, willow, wool and hair.

29. Clothing  Skins (hides) were painted with natural paints and decorated with bone, porcupine quills, feathers, beads and shells.  Clothing was more than just protection from the elements or a display of status, it had a spiritual dimension and was thought of as part of the person who wore it – a “second skin.”

30. Young woman's dress; Nlaka'pamux in Lytton

31. Personal Adornment  Decorating the face by painting or tattooing was a sign or beauty or of status.  Face painting was more common among men than women.  Tattooing was more often seen on women than men.

32. Personal Adornment  A great deal of attention was paid to the hair, especially by men.  It was arranged and decorated by feathers and dentalium shells and high ranking Dakelh wore ceremonial wigs.

33. Personal Adornment  Men and women also wore pendants and ornaments worn in piercings in the nose and ears.

34. Facial and body tattoos of the Nlaka'pamux

35. Engravings and Paintings  A common and very ancient style of design involved engraving patterns into horn and bone.  Then highlighting the design with rubbing ochre or charcoal into them  The execution of the engraving was controlled and precise.

36. Engravings and Paintings  Patterns were generally geometric and non- representational.  Some had symbolic representations of the natural or spirits worlds.

37. Engravings and Paintings  Engravings were down on arm bands, bowls, clubs, scrapers, spoons, tump-line spreaders, shamans pendants, and special drinking tubes used by girls when they reached puberty.

38. Engravings and Paintings  Painting is also a very old technique.  Many items were painted from clothing, to bodies, to wood, to hides, to canoes, and snowshoes.  Often designs composed of lines and dots suggesting a spiritual significance.

39. Northwest Coast Art Region by Region

40. Northwest Coast Art  The artistic traditions of the Northwest Coast can be categorized by region.  The northern region includes the Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Gitxsan, Nisga’a, and Haisla nations.

41. Northwest Coast Art  The central region consists of the Nuxalk, Heiltsuk, Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwakwaka’wakw nations.  The southern regions includes the Salishan- speaking groups = the Coast Salish people.

43. Northwest Coast Art  Making the supernatural world visible was one of the two main purposed of traditional Northwest Coast art.  The carvings, paintings, ceremonial objects, and costumes were fully integrated with the art of theatre, dance and song.

44. Northwest Coast Art  The second main purpose was to validate the social system.  There are central design elements in Northwest Coast art such as the formline (continuous flowing line that outlines the creature being represented), the ovoid, and the U-shape.

45. Haida totem poles

46. Haida – Uttewas/Masset, 1878

47. The Impact of Colonialism A Denial of Cultural Identity

48. The Impact of Colonialism  Colonialism took a heavy toll on Northwest Coast art as many artists died from epidemics and could not pass on the traditional knowledge; they was also fewer people to learn it.  The influence of Christianity also caused some people to stop using ceremonial objects – they were considered heathen, pagan and sinful.

49. The Impact of Colonialism  The potlatch, which was the most important use of the art, was outlawed in 1884, and shamanism was called “witchcraft” by the government and the church and made illegal.  To deal with the new economy, new beliefs and disease many people sold their ceremonial objects.

50. The Impact of Colonialism  Northwest Coast art went into decline but it did not disappear, it went underground, transformed itself, or lay dormant.  There were always artists who continued the form but the purpose for the art changed – ceremonial art and art for sale to the public.

51. The Impact of Colonialism  First Nations artists have played an important role in their communities and the world at large by keeping alive the enduring connections with land, ancestors, and culture through visual imagery despite the brutal assault on their traditional ways of life.

52. Mungo Martin, Kwakwaka'wakw, carving the Haida style memorial figure

53. The Resurgence A Flourishing Art Scene

54. Resurgence  In the 1940s the world began to take a different view on Northwest Coast art.  The art which was often stored away in museums was seen as “fine art.”  Exhibitions were held and illustrated books ere published.

55. Resurgence  After WWII, many aspects of First Nations life began to slowly improve – right to vote (1949 in BC), hold potlatches (1951).  Gained a positive sense of identity and along with that came a new study and appreciation for the art of the ancestors.

56. Resurgence  The publication in 1965 of Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form by Seattle academic, Bill Holm, undertook the first close analysis of the style used by the artists.

57. Resurgence  In the 1960s a new expression of art, the serigraph, or print (printmaking), exploded on the scene.  Today printmaking is an important and often lucrative part of a Northwest Coast artist’s career.

59. Resurgence  The demand for Northwest Coast art continues to grow.  It is internationally acclaimed as one of the finest art forms in the world.

60. Resurgence  Today the context and the audience for the art has changed.  Many artists transform the traditional styles into modern contexts and find successful careers in their work.

61. Resurgence  Once the strict domain of men only women are carving totem poles including Ellen Neel, Kwakwaka’wakw, Doreen Jensen, Gitxsan, and Freda Diesing, Haida (Northwest Community College).

62. Ellen Neel, Kwakwaka’wakw

63. Resurgence  Traditional women’s arts such a weaving are also recognized as art forms today; there are also a few men in the field.  William White, Tsimshian, creates and teaches the techniques of cedar bark weaving an the complex forms of the Chilkat blanket and Raven’s tail blanket.

64. Chilkat Blanket, Tlingit, Tsimshian

65. Resurgence  Cowichan First Nations weavers on Vancouver island have continued with the tradition of the distinctly pattern, heavy knit Cowichan sweaters in more modernized version.  Cowichan knitting is a form of knitting developed by the Cowichan people of southeastern Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

66. Cowichan Sweaters, Coast Salish, Cowichan Tribes

67. Resurgence  Many artists are creating modern clothing with West coast designs and a leading designer is Dorothy Grant, Kaigani Haida.  She has created fashion labels such as Feastwear and Dorothy Grant (see page 251 for more information).

68. Dorothy Grant, Kaigani Haida

69. Resurgence  Susan Point, Musqueam (“People of the Grass”), is an artist who crates jewelry, prints, murals, sculptures, wall installations (murals at YVR + house posts at the First Nations House of Learning at UBC).

70. Resurgence  She is recognized for blending old and new designs and creating stunning art with materials that range from bronze to cedar to glass to cast iron (see page 250 for more info).

71. Susan Point, Musqueam

72. Art in the Community and the World Local and Global Communities

73. ’Ksan Historical Village  The ’Ksan Historical Village and Museum sit on the ancient Gitxsan village site near Hazelton, BC.  Since the 1960s it has been the focal point for the renewal and the preservation of Northwest coast art and culture.

74. Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art  Many of today’s most successful artists trained at the school and have moved on to train others (i.e. Doreen Jensen and Freida Diesing).

75. Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art  ’Ksan was opened in 1970 and today it houses a museum, gift shop, performance space, and most importantly a school for training for First Nations artists (see pages 252-253 for more info).

77. Art in the Community and the World  Artist have greater opportunities today for creating art for their local communities, for ceremonial purposes for which art was originally intended.  With the resurgence in art there is also a revitalizing in cultural practices (potlatch, feast) which incorporate the art.

78. Art in the Community and the World  Gathering require artist to create new works, be they drums, headdresses, masks, paddles, or clothing, ceremonial robes/button blankets.

79. Art in the Community and the World  Artists can sell their work at powwows, commercial galleries, museums, gift shops, their own galleries (Susan Point in Vancouver and Roy Henry Vickers in Tofino) studios, cultural centres, and online.

80. Art in the Community and the World  BC First Nations cultural centres are located in the following areas :  Secwepemc Museum and Heritage Park, Kamloops  Cowichan Native Village, Duncan  ’Ksan Historical Village, Hazelton  Musquem Cultural Centre + Gallery, Vancouver  Squamish Lil'Wat Cultural Centre, Whistler  Nk'Mip Desert Cultural Centre, Penticton  U'mista Cultural Centre, Alert Bay  Quw'utsun' Cultural And Conference Centre, Cowichan Valley

81. Art in the Community and the World  Canada’s foremost cultural museum, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, located in Ottawa, celebrates the significance of Northwest Coast art in the large display that great visitors, called the Grand Hall.

82. Revival of the Great Canoes The Return

83. Revival of the Great Canoes  One of the single most exciting artistic revivals in recent years has been the return of the great canoes to the Northwest Coast.  For the Kwakwaka’wakw, the Tsimshian, the Nuu- chah-nulth, the Tlingit, and other coastal groups, the canoes was the primary mode of transportation, food gathering, and spirituality.

84. Bill Reid's (Haida) Black Eagle Canoe, now part of the SFU Collection at the Bill Reid Gallery

85. Revival of the Great Canoes  Since 1985 a number of milestone “paddles” and canoe gatherings have taken place.  For the world’s Fair/Expo 86, the Heiltsuk people paddled from Bella Bella to Vancouver.

86. Revival of the Great Canoes  In preparation of the 1989 “Paddle to Seattle” First Nations communities in BC and Washington began to build canoes and they started paddling for the first time in a century.  In 1993, the Qatuwas Festival had over 2,000 people attend the weekend long canoe gathering.

87. Revival of the Great Canoes  Today there are several regular paddles and gatherings among the nations of the Northwest Coast.  The most recent took place on September 17th, 2013 for the TRC = The All Nations Canoe Gathering.

88. Revival of the Great Canoes  A significant piece of Aboriginal culture was shared among Aboriginal Peoples and all Canadians though the invitation of Aboriginal Peoples and communities in Lower Mainland to participate in a traditional Aboriginal canoe ceremony for reconciliation.

90. Regaining Strength and Culture Visibly and Celebratory

91. Regaining Strength and Culture  Today there is a resurgence of traditional art forms.  Artists are frequently committed spiritually, politically, and culturally to their work.

92. Regaining Strength and Culture  Clearly, there is much evidence that Aboriginal people in BC and across Canada are regaining their strength and cultures in very visible and celebratory ways.

94. Andy Everson (K’ómoks First Nation, Comox) Control Stormtrooper

95. Star Wars, Native Style: Andy Everson Uses Characters To Criticize BC Treaty Process

96. Regaining Strength and Culture  It is an exciting time for Aboriginal people non- Aboriginal people in Canada.  We are at the cusp of a new relationship.

97. Regaining Strength and Culture  We must move forward together with reconciliation, respect, understanding, acceptance, dedication and hard work.  It will not be an easy journey but it is imperative.

98. What’s Next? It Awaits To Be Seen...