Northwest Coast Tribal Masks This paper describes the Sea Bear Transformation Mask, created by Don Svanvik in 2000, and how it reflects Northwest Coast Indian art and culture, specific to the Kwakiutl tribe. A transformation mask is a large mask with hinged shutters that, when open, reveal another mask. Audrey and Alan Bleviss gave this mask to the Montclair Art Museum in 2005. The medium consists of red cedar, cedar bark, copper, pigment, and string. In the Montclair Art Museum, the mask is displayed
For the Kwakiutl People of the northern part of Vancouver Island, Canada, and the adjacent mainland, recorded history starts approximately in the year of 1792 when Capitan George Vancouver first made contact. As with many first encounters with Europeans, disease developed and drastically reduced the population of the Kwakiutl by an estimated 75% from the time of 1830 to 1880. In 1990, the Kwakiutl was around 1500 and pre-contact estimates are in the range of ten times that (Native Languages of the
Crooked Beak of Heaven Mask is a big bird-figure mask from late nineteenth century made by Kwakwaka’wakw tribe. Black is a broad color over the entire mask. Red and white are used partially around its eyes, mouth, nose, and beak. Its beak and mouth are made to be opened, and this leads us to the important fact in both formal analysis and historical or cultural understanding: Transformation theme. Keeping that in mind, I would like to state formal analysis that I concluded from the artwork itself
Kwakwaka’wakw Whale Transformation Mask The Kwakwaka’wakw whale transformation mask (portrayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art) was created in the 19th century within the Alert Bay region, located in Vancouver Island, Canada. Since they generally portray a specific family’s genealogy through the display of intricate crest symbols, finding the specific artists of these masks are very hard to accomplish, as there tends to be very minimal amounts of indicators regarding their production. Therefore
What Yuxweluptun meant by “Its not a pretty picture” the history of the First Nations people the impact of historical traumas: colonialism, racism, genocide, government laws and other issues: environmental [clear cutting, global warming, water pollution and oil industry] facing the First Nations. (L. P. Yuxweluptun Introductory Video) Throughout his career Yuxweluptun has painted the reality of the discourse of the First Nations People within the dominant culture (Watson 881). By using art as a way
“The Kwakwaka’wakw formed a society called the U’mista Cultural Society in the 1970s” (Zasibley, 2015). This society that was created, produced a petition for the government to return their illegally stolen articles. The society work hard to obtain their items but
This piece called Transformation Mask (Sea Bear), as in the title it is a transformation mask from the Northwest Coast Cherokee/Kwakwaka'wakw tribe created by Don Svanvik in 2000. Masks such as this were used to reflect art and culture of specific tribes as well as used for cultural performances. This mask is currently hanging on the wall in The Montclair Art Museum (MaM). This mask was a gift donated by Alan and Audrey Bleviss. This Transformation Mask in particular was made with the mediums of
Paige Raibmon’s book “Authentic Indians” take a closer look at the concept of authenticity in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Focusing on the culturally diverse Aboriginal people of the Northwest Coast, Raibmon examines how both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people constructed and used the idea of the authentic Indian to achieve their goals. Drawing examples from three ‘episodes’ or stories about Aboriginal people of the Northwest Coast, Raibmon argues that authenticity is not a
The Apache’s agricultural attempts were indeed a strategically sound effort before the war with the Ute and Comanche – their diverse diet helped to avoid the laundry list of problems associated with high-protein, bison-based methods of substinence, chief amongst these concerns would be birth defects in pregnant women (Hamalainen, 31). The Apache’s formerly advantageous development of farming began to backfire, however, since their rivals simply traded in their bison meat for Pueblo maize and attacked
The three Halls that I visited at the American Museum of Natural History were: Halls of the Pacific Peoples, Northwest Coast Indians and Asian peoples. All of these Halls were distinctly different from each other, although I enjoyed viewing all three, my favorite Hall was that of Asian Peoples. Of special interest was the Hall of Northwest Coast Indians, since I was able to witness and play in my head, a reel of the transformations it has gone through since the time of Franz Boas, as described