From the Land of the Totem Poles

From the Land of the Totem Poles
Author :
Publisher : New York : American Museum of Natural History ; Vancouver : Douglas & McIntryre
Total Pages : 269
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0295970227
ISBN-13 : 9780295970226
Rating : 4/5 (27 Downloads)

Synopsis From the Land of the Totem Poles by : American Museum of Natural History

In 1943 French anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss arrived in New York City, along with countless refugees from the war in Europe. He became a frequent visitor to the North Pacific Hall at the American Museum of Natural History where he could lose himself in what he affectionately called "a magic place where the dreams of childhood hold a rendezvous, where century-old tree trunks sing and speak, where undefinable objects watch out for the visitor, with the anxious stare of human faces, where animals of superhuman gentleness join their little paws like hands in prayer." Two and a half million people now visit the Museum each year to share in these enchantments. The American Museum houses the most extensive collection of Northwest Coast Indian art in existence. It includes material from virtually every Indian group that once lived along the west coast of British Columbia and Alaska. In this book, Dr. Aldona Jonaitis traces the history of this magnificent collection, beginning in the late nineteenth century before those coastal peoples had much contact with Europeans, and their customs, languages, and art were still intact. Shortly after the collections was formed, between 1880 and 1910, Indian culture in this region went into a severe decline, to be revived a half century later as another generation of North Americans discovered their heritage. The story alternately captivates and distresses. Populations were decimated by disease in the last years of the nineteenth century, art objects left their makers' hands bound for museums all over the world, traditional rituals were outlawed, and governments exerted strong pressures on the Indians to become assimilated. On the other side of the story are the individuals--like Franz Boas, under whose direction much of the Museum collection was assembled, Lt. George Thornton Emmons, who immersed himself in the native cultures, George Hunt, prized Kwakiutl informant for Boas and other researchers, and Charles Edenshaw, master Haida carver and painter--whose colorful lives intersect the Age of Museum Collecting. Artifacts in the American Museum come alive through the details Dr. Jonaitis provides of their cultural context, their traditional uses, and their acquisition by collectors. Viewers see spoons and bowls that held food eaten by Boas at a potlatch; feel the spirit power emanating from a shaman's charm removed from its owner's grave by Lieutenant Emmons; sense the sadness behind the display of family crests on a house model carved by Edenshaw. Nearly 100 color plates in the book and numerous historical photographs from the Museum's archives recall a bygone era and are a tribute to the stunning artworks of the North Pacific region. Dr. Jonaitis has written the first book devoted solely to the collection of Northwest Coast Indian art in the American Museum of Natural History. As such, the book is both an essential work for scholars and a valuable resource for the general reader.

A Totem Pole History

A Totem Pole History
Author :
Publisher : U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages : 354
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780803240971
ISBN-13 : 080324097X
Rating : 4/5 (71 Downloads)

Synopsis A Totem Pole History by : Pauline R. Hillaire

Joseph Hillaire (Lummi, 1894–1967) is recognized as one of the great Coast Salish artists, carvers, and tradition-bearers of the twentieth century. In A Totem Pole History, his daughter Pauline Hillaire, Scälla–Of the Killer Whale, who is herself a well-known cultural historian and conservator, tells the story of her father’s life and the traditional and contemporary Lummi narratives that influenced his work. A Totem Pole History contains seventy-six photographs, including Joe’s most significant totem poles, many of which Pauline watched him carve. She conveys with great insight the stories, teachings, and history expressed by her father’s totem poles. Eight contributors provide essays on Coast Salish art and carving, adding to the author’s portrayal of Joe’s philosophy of art in Salish life, particularly in the context of twentieth century intercultural relations. This engaging volume provides an historical record to encourage Native artists and brings the work of a respected Salish carver to the attention of a broader audience.

Northwest Coast Indian Art

Northwest Coast Indian Art
Author :
Publisher : University of Washington Press
Total Pages : 145
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780295999500
ISBN-13 : 0295999500
Rating : 4/5 (00 Downloads)

Synopsis Northwest Coast Indian Art by : Bill Holm

The 50th anniversary edition of this classic work on the art of Northwest Coast Indians now offers color illustrations for a new generation of readers along with reflections from contemporary Northwest Coast artists about the impact of this book. The masterworks of Northwest Coast Native artists are admired today as among the great achievements of the world’s artists. The painted and carved wooden screens, chests and boxes, rattles, crest hats, and other artworks display the complex and sophisticated northern Northwest Coast style of art that is the visual language used to illustrate inherited crests and tell family stories. In the 1950s Bill Holm, a graduate student of Dr. Erna Gunther, former Director of the Burke Museum, began a systematic study of northern Northwest Coast art. In 1965, after studying hundreds of bentwood boxes and chests, he published Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form. This book is a foundational reference on northern Northwest Coast Native art. Through his careful studies, Bill Holm described this visual language using new terminology that has become part of the established vocabulary that allows us to talk about works like these and understand changes in style both through time and between individual artists’ styles. Holm examines how these pieces, although varied in origin, material, size, and purpose, are related to a surprising degree in the organization and form of their two-dimensional surface decoration. The author presents an incisive analysis of the use of color, line, and texture; the organization of space; and such typical forms as ovoids, eyelids, U forms, and hands and feet. The evidence upon which he bases his conclusions constitutes a repository of valuable information for all succeeding researchers in the field. Replaces ISBN 9780295951027

Totem Poles

Totem Poles
Author :
Publisher : Heritage House Publishing Co
Total Pages : 116
Release :
ISBN-10 : 1894974441
ISBN-13 : 9781894974448
Rating : 4/5 (41 Downloads)

Synopsis Totem Poles by : Pat Kramer

"The First Peoples of the Pacific Coast recorded their history and preserved their legends and stories on spectacularly carved totem poles. This book guides readers to the many places in British Columbia, Washington and Alaska where totem poles can be found and helps viewers understand the "language" of the poles. Learn about their origin and history, the symbols and ceremonies linked to them, types of figures and how to identify them, and where to see authentic poles and pole collections." "Pat Kramer spent many years researching the material in this book and worked closely with First Peoples to create a fresh and revealing look at these incredible artifacts. Filled with fascinating facts, legends and photographs, Totem Poles is an excellent guide, reference and souvenir."--BOOK JACKET.

The Totem Pole

The Totem Pole
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0295989629
ISBN-13 : 9780295989624
Rating : 4/5 (29 Downloads)

Synopsis The Totem Pole by : Aldona Jonaitis

"Writing a poem is like trying to describe a totemic column which passes right through and beyond the world. We see it, but its existence is elsewhere." --Stanley Diamond, Totems--The Northwest Coast totem pole captivates the imagination. From the first descriptions of these tall carved monuments, totem poles have become central icons of the Northwest Coast region and symbols of its Native inhabitants. Although many of those who gaze at these carvings assume that they are ancient artifacts, the so-called totem pole is a relatively recent artistic development, one that has become immensely important to Northwest Coast people and has simultaneously gained a common place in popular culture from fashion to the funny pages.--The Totem Pole reconstructs the intercultural history of the art form in its myriad manifestations from the eighteenth century to the present. Aldona Jonaitis and Aaron Glass analyze the totem pole's continual transformation since Europeans first arrived on the scene, investigate its various functions in different contexts, and address the significant influence of colonialism on the proliferation and distribution of carved poles. The authors also describe their theories on the development of the art form: its spread from the Northwest Coast to world's fairs and global theme parks; its integration with the history of tourism and its transformation into a signifier of place; the role of governments, museums, and anthropologists in collecting and restoring poles; and the part that these carvings have continuously played in Native struggles for control of their cultures and their lands.--Short essays by scholars and artists, including Robert Davidson, Bill Holm, Richard Hunt, Nathan Jackson, Vickie Jensen, Andrea Laforet, Susan Point, Charlotte Townsend-Gault, Lyle Wilson, and Robin Wright, provide specific case studies of many of the topics discussed, directly illustrating the various relationships that people have with the totem pole.--Aldona Jonaitis is director emerita of the University of Alaska Museum of the North and professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. An art historian who has published widely on Native American art, she is the author of Art of the Northwest Coast and Looking North: Art from the University of Alaska Museum, among other titles. --Aaron Glass is an assistant professor at the Bard Graduate Center in New York City, where he teaches anthropology of art, museums, and material culture. He has published on visual art, media, and performance among First Nations on the Northwest Coast and has produced the documentary film In Search of the Hamat'sa: A Tale of Headhunting.

Tlingit Art

Tlingit Art
Author :
Publisher : Surrey, B.C. : Hancock House
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0888395094
ISBN-13 : 9780888395092
Rating : 4/5 (94 Downloads)

Synopsis Tlingit Art by : Maria Bolanz

The Tlingit Indians of the Northwest Coast carved interior house posts, portal entrances and free standing totem poles with crests of animals, sea creatures, birds, and legendary and human figures, successfully combining symbolism and realism. This book examines the social and artistic relevance of the Tlingit carvings and relates many of the fascinating North American Indian legends upon which some of the carvings are based.

Totem Poles

Totem Poles
Author :
Publisher : New York : Grosset & Dunlap
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0448424231
ISBN-13 : 9780448424231
Rating : 4/5 (31 Downloads)

Synopsis Totem Poles by : Jennifer Frantz

Introduces totem poles and how they were made, and their importance to Native Americans living along the coast of North America which used them as a means of recording family and tribal history.

Cook Islands Art

Cook Islands Art
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 72
Release :
ISBN-10 : UCSC:32106009617801
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 (01 Downloads)

Synopsis Cook Islands Art by : Dale Idiens

4e de couv.: The small, scattered islands of the Cook group - the only islands in the Pacific to bear the name of the famous eighteenth century navigator - occupy a central position in both Pacific geography and Polynesian art. Unfortunately, little of the material culture which Captain Cook might have seen in these islands survives today. Yet those artects which are preserved in museums clearly indicate the exisstence prior to European contact of a rich artistic tradition and a remarkable level of crafsmanship in a variety of materials: stone, shell, ivory, wood, leaf and feathers. The peak of Cook Islands art is woodcarving, characterised by a sophisticated repertoire of sculptural forms, elaborate carved and painted decoration and superb finish. The author describes the range and diversity of Cook Islands art, including both ceremonial and functional objects. The materials employed, the processes of manufacture and the function of the objects within the context of traditional island society are outlined. Today Cook Islands life is changing rapidly, but the skills of the past are still alive, needing only a little encouragement to flourish as before.

The Place of Scraps

The Place of Scraps
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0889227888
ISBN-13 : 9780889227880
Rating : 4/5 (88 Downloads)

Synopsis The Place of Scraps by : Jordan Abel

A conceptual poetry book that plays with the idea of historical First Nations' representation through visual and erasure poems.

The Personal Totem Pole: Animal Imagery, the Chakras and Psychotherapy

The Personal Totem Pole: Animal Imagery, the Chakras and Psychotherapy
Author :
Publisher :
Total Pages : 248
Release :
ISBN-10 : 0944164099
ISBN-13 : 9780944164099
Rating : 4/5 (99 Downloads)

Synopsis The Personal Totem Pole: Animal Imagery, the Chakras and Psychotherapy by : Eligio Stephen Gallegos

It is now 25 years since the Personal Totem Pole was first published in 1987. It has never been out of print in that time. The book remains a steady seller as it serves still as one of the clearest and most accessible descriptions of how a person can explore the Deep Imagination. Accessing as it does, the experience of Deep Imagery through the chakra system of the body, the book describes a way to engage with the deepest levels of imagery and still remain grounded and rooted in body. The Personal Totem Pole tells the story of the discovery of the chakra power animals. The chakra power animals are the basis for the therapeutic model known as the Personal Totem Pole Process(c). The Personal Totem Pole Process(c) is an internationally acclaimed discipline, with practitioners worldwide. The Personal Totem Pole is an account by Dr. Gallegos of his experiences with his Totem Pole animals and of the experiences of some of his clients with theirs. The book is a gentle introduction to Deep Imagery and is of special interest to any one who wishes to explore the Personal Totem Pole process, either on an individual level or as a therapeutic tool. The Personal Totem Pole Process(c) has been used worldwide by individuals interested in their own growth and healing, by medical practitioners, by those working with children, on vision quests and by artists and writers and other creative individuals in supporting their own creativity. The third edition of the book (2012) contains some new and updated materi