Haida Carving
by Walter Stolting
When you actually get out and experience this province, you realize what an incredibly beautiful place it is. It is this very beauty – and a nearly constant and abundant food supply - that has inspired Coastal Native B.C. cultures for about 10,000 years. Together, this rugged beauty and abundance have supported the development of a fascinating indigenous culture that has embraced and incorporated art as a fundamental pillar in its society.
After a long era of suppression by organized religion and the Canadian Government during the first half of the 21st century, local native cultures are again flourishing and once again becoming an important part of everyday life and tradition. Carvings, weaving, decorative traditional clothing, native jewellery, ceremonial dances, paintings, native masks, and traditional songs are again increasingly used in potlatches, ceremonies, feasts and other social gatherings. This positive trend is inspiring younger generations to learn more about their heritage and culture and to develop their own relationship to traditional and contemporary ways of life. This new-found passion among youth is leading the way to further enriching and developing these unique cultures that were once on the verge of being lost.
Pacific Northwest Coast Art is based on a fairly structured set of rules and design elements called “Formline”. Over the centuries traditional methods have led to a unique and recognizable art form that is highly valued by the local First Nations, museums, collectors and art lovers world-wide. There are four specific regions along the Pacific Northwest Coast, each showing a slightly different interpretation of traditional design elements. These styles are, for the most part, known as “The North Coast Art Style” for North Western BC; “The Mid Coast Art Style” for Northeast Vancouver Island and the adjacent coastline; “The Southwest Coast Art Style” for Western Vancouver Island; and “The South Coast Art Style” for the area including South Eastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent coastlines. The best known tribes or nations that are represented in these areas are the Coast Salish, Haida, Kwakwaka´wakw or Kwakiutl, Tlingit, Tahltan, Nisga'a, Gitskan, Haisla, Nuxalk, Heiltsuk, Oweekeno, Nuu-Chah-Nulth and Makah.
There are a few things to remember when buying or collecting Pacific Northwest Coast First Nations or Native Art from British Columbia:
• If you are interested in a piece of authentic and original native art or jewellery, make sure the art work is signed in original and that you know the name of the artist and his local tribal affiliation. If it is an older piece of art, it is possible that it is not signed but still authentic. In the older days, the artists didn’t sign their work since the artwork itself was formerly interpreted as the signature of the artist.
• We always recommend that you should feel touched by the beauty, craftsmanship or “energy” that the artwork represents.
• Look at the details of the carvings, the clean lines, the colours and the proportions of the piece. Ask the gallery about the artist, the materials used, the symbol, the myth or story that is represented, and where the piece was made. If you’re buying from a reputable gallery, feel free to ask for a certificate of authenticity if it is appropriate. Usually they will be happy to send you one if they don’t have one on file.
• If you would like to start collecting or investing in Native art, we often recommend to start by reading about relevant Native cultures, traditions, the potlatch, formline design techniques and aesthetics, and then delve into the stories, myths, symbols and dances of the cultures you are collecting. This will provide a basis for understanding the different types of masks, carvings, symbols and mediums, how they were used, and what they represent.
• Start out by concentrating on specific Nations and cultures and their appropriate master carvers. A few very collectible Pacific Northwest Coast Native Artists are Mungo Martin, Charles Edenshaw, Tony Hunt, Bill Reid, Robert Davidson, Ron and Marcel Russ, Gordon Cross, Roy Henry Vickers and many more.
Doing some research on the artwork you've collected will enrich your experience and provide excellent conversation pieces to share with friends and family. Also, take the time to actually experience and connect to the culture you are collecting by visiting a cultural or traditional gathering, a museum or art gallery.
However you choose to enjoy the Pacific Northwest Coast Native Culture and its many art forms, investing in a piece of art or jewellery is a sound investment.
Walter Stolting
President
Spirits of the West Coast Native Art Gallery
2926 Back Road
Courtenay, BC
V9N 9G9