Aboriginal Artistic Expression
“In my language, there is no
word for “Art.” This is not
because we are devoide of
art, but because Art is so
powerfully integrated with
all aspects of life”
Doreen Jensen, Gitxan
artist
Various Art Forms
1. Stone and Sculpture Art:
-earliest form of art
-dates back 10,000 yrs.
-stone was used to create:
-decorative objects
-practical tools
Pictorgraphs
-painted images on rocks
-paint was made minerals:
-Ochre (red)
-Charcol (black)
3. Petroglyphs
-Rock Carvings
4. Argillite Carvings
-Carvings + Sculpting
-done with Argillite Stone
-found only on Haida Gwaii
5. Culturally modified Trees:
-trees that are altered by Aboriginal
people
*Arboglyph: carved trees
*Arbograph: painted trees
(similar to pictographs but on
tree trunks)
FN Art by Location
Art of the BC Interior:
-remember interior nations were highly mobile
-thus the art here was light and portable:
*clothing adorned with quills, beads, shells,
bones, feathers
*clothing made of hide (moose, deer, caribou)
*clothing made of woven textiles (hemp,
cedar, sagebrush, willow)
*painted faces or tattoos
*painted drums, horns and bones
FN Art by Location
More on Face Painting / Tattooing:
-Interior FN’s decorated their
faces by painting and tattooing
-this was a sign of beauty and
status
-tattoo’s were done with porcupine
quills or a sharp bone that pulled
a fine piece of sinew thread
coated with charcoal
-they would also “trick”
themselves out with feathers,
dentalium shells, piercings and
pendants/necklaces
Adornment: to decorate oneself (face
FN Art by Location
Art of the Northwest
Coast:
-the Costal Natives had more
structured and hierarchical
societies
-Main forms of Costal Art:
*Totem Poles
*House Fronts
*Masks
*Textiles, basketry, blankets
*bentwood boxes
-this lifestyle and social
system gave way to highly
evolved artistic expressions
Impact of Colonization
Colonization took a heavy toll on Northwest Coast
art:
1.Smallpox and disease killed many artists
2. influence of Christianity caused some artists to
stop their creations  many Christians seen totem
poles and masks as heathen, pagan and sinful
3.Shamanism: aka Witchcraft -- Euro’s and church
people claimed that FN art was a form of Witchcraft
4.1884 Anti-Potlatch law outlawed ceremonial
gatherings  these events called for Artistic
expression (FN’s would create masks and totem
poles for these events)
 all these factors led to:
- FN’s no longer creating Art forms
-the removal, appropriation and bringing
Artistic Resurgence 1940s-present
-around the 1940s people started to look at FN art
differently
-After WWII many things happened that helped improve the
situation of Aboriginal peoples:
-ability to vote (1949)
-Anti-potlatch law was dropped (1951)
-increased public knowledge of Aboriginal Issues
all this helped to improve Aboriginal social position
-today BC Aboriginal Art is widely recognized and sought
after
-today FN groups are proud to display their artwork
-Today BC FN’s have an Art school:
Ksan Historical Village and the Gitanmaxx school of
Northwest Coast Indian Art
Revival of the Great Canoes
-recently we have seen the revival of the
great Costal Canoes
-they served many purposes:
-transportation, essential for fishing,
gathering food, used for trading and
was also a “spiritual vessel”
-since the 1980s there have been a
number of “paddles” and “canoe
gatherings” across BC
-ex. Paddle to Seattle in 1989
-ex. Pulling Together Paddle (200509)
-ex. Okanagan Salmon Feast Paddle
-these are examples of BC FN building
ceremonial and spiritual canoes to
honor
their past
Okanagan
Song
Famous BC FN Artists
Bill Reid
Roy Henry Vickers
Robert Davidson
Bill Helin
Susan Point
Dorothy Grant