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My Introduction To Northwest
Native American Art
By Clint Leung
I had lived in Vancouver very briefly as a child and it was
during that time when I was first exposed to the art of the Northwest Coast
Native American Indians. It was the towering colorful totem poles out in
Stanley Park that everyone gazed at with wonder and appreciation. It took about
30 years later during a return trip to Vancouver when Northwest Coast Native
American art caught my eyes again.
I was in Vancouver for business and landed at the city's new
airport terminal. One could not help but notice the huge native carvings near
the arrivals area. Later on during my stay, I decided to wander around in the
Gastown district. It was in these shops and galleries in Gastown where I fell
in love with Northwest Coast Native American art. I saw many wonderful wooden
plaques representing different animals. There were also art prints, paintings,
masks, wooden bowls and even furnature with these animals either painted or
carved right into the pieces.
The colors and designs, which might be considered a bit
exaggerated to non-native eyes, were striking as well as bold. I knew at that
time that I wanted to include some of this magnificent artwork on my walls back
at home. So I bought two plaque carvings and carried them home like newly found
treasure.
Historically, the native Indians who lived along the river
valleys and coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest were all hunters and
gatherers. The region was blessed with abundant resources from both the seas
and forests. These people captured in their artwork the animals they hunted and
observed. These included bears, killer whales, eagles, ravens, salmons, wolves,
hummingbirds and even frogs. Chiefs and mythical characters important in their
legends such as thunderbirds were also included as art subjects.
Northwest Coast Native American art is just only recently
gaining some major attention in some galleries and museums around the world.
Compared to other native arts such as Inuit (Eskimo), exposure of Northwest
Coast Native American art is still rather limited to the northwest coast of
Canada and the United States. This form of artwork is virtually unknown to most
parts of the world including many regions of North America. This will hopefully
change as more people from around the world travel to Vancouver. The future
winter Olympics in 2010 up in Whistler, BC will also have a positive impact on
the region's Native Indian art. I personally believe that Northwest Coast
Native American art has a lot of potential to be internationally recognized and
accepted.
(To see the article complete with photos of actual carvers
and their artwork, go to http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca)
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Clint Leung is owner of Free Spirit Gallery (http://www.FreeSpiritGallery.ca),
an online gallery specializing in Northwest Native and
Eskimo Inuit art including
carvings, sculpture and prints. Free Spirit Gallery has
numerous information
resource articles on both Inuit and Native art as well as
free eCards.
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