West Coast Aboriginal - First Nation Art

West Coast Aboriginal – First Nation Indian Art

The Challenge

My wife, Donna, & I first visited the West Coast of Canada in 2004. We were greatly impressed by the sophisticated and inspiring work produced by this ancient and still vibrant art form. I had not indulged in craft work since a did a "suspension' for my office many years ago.

However I found myself drawn to make attempts at reflecting the west coast images. My first attempts were a series of “suspensions” – images cut in sheets of thin high density particle board and coloured in layers.

My first project used poorly developed images but the basic approach seemed to work.

Haida Memories reflected the works of Bill Reid, an eagle in his jewelry, his Killer  whale at the Vancouver Aquarium, his raven & at the art museum of Anthropology & his bear at the museum of  Man and Civilization in Hull, Ontario

The 2^nd Haida Memories used many of the same images, & layering but a new bear and a different surround.

The third was a painting – The images now included the eagle, raven & bear from Haida Guan at the museum of Man in Hull. But now I wanted to work in 3 dimensions – ie make masks reflecting the west coast art. In the painting I explored the use of acrylics & a selection of colours for the masks.

SMILING MOTHER MASK

In my search for an image I found Will-a-daugh, of the “ Skimsim & Will-a-daugh” Gitksan First Nation memorial totem pole. Hers was the only image I came across on the web or in my books that had even a hint of a smile. The mother is reported to have gotten pregnant from a grub. Hence the Mona Lisa like smile?

                       

I learned of the extensive interest in the pole after I chose the image for my mask. - time to learn a little about the poles significance.

The totem pole been erected about a thousand years ago near Ke-an (Prince Rupert Harbour). It was the first pole erected at Kitwancool by the clan of the Wolves . When they migrated, they took along duplicates of their totem poles and erected them in their new permanent villages. The poles establish the power of the chief and the right of ownership of the lands. The poles tell the people the size of their village, the mountains they own, their hunting and fishing grounds.

The poles  at Gitanyow (Kitwancool) village, north of the Skeena River (shown in these photos taken in 1910) were carved in the 1800s and 1900s. The Skim-sim and Will-a-daugh pole, may be seen in front of the third house from the left. 

Will-a-daugh is holding her child. Will-a-daugh was a chief’s niece at Ke-an (Prince Rupert) who conceived a child from a wood grub. The nose of the ancestress on the original pole was probably long and sharp edged.

American artist Langdon Kihn* sketched and painted views of Kitwancool, now known as Gitanyow, in 1924 at the behest of Marius Barbeau. His graphic style reflects his forte as an illustrator. He was given to reinterpret Northwest Coast sculpture and design, and to recompose the settings of totem pole.

Emily Carr painted the “Totem Mother , Kitwancool” in 1928, oil on canvas,  when the community was still quite isolated. The painting is in the Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Emily Carr Trust,  Photo: Trevor Mills, Vancouver Art Gallery.

In 1958, an agreement was signed by the People of Kitwancool  permitting anthropologists to collect and preserve this and several other poles in museums. In return, the anthropologists agreed to publish the histories, stories, and traditions of Kitwancool so future generations of both Native and non-Native students could learn about them. The booklet, 'Histories, Territories and Laws of the Kitwancool' is still in print. Replicas of the original pole were made at Gitanyow & the original pole was moved to the B.C. Museum of Anthropology. 

One replica pole remains at Kitwancool, B.C.  Kitwancool is 20 miles north of Kitwanga on the B.C. hwg. 37, north of 16. The BC government erected a plaque as a tourist attraction.

Another replica is in the Thunderbird Park in Victoria B.C

Ironically I rediscovered it in pictures of Donna & I at the Park in 2004

I soon discovered the variety of images of the totem on the internet .

I began my task of  mast making by enlarging a front view and profile of the image to the size of the mask.

From these I developed horizontal sections which became the cutting outline for layers of styrofoam as a core for the sculpture. 

The core was covered with plaster for carving.

 I wanted to make several masks, some reflecting the original image, using a common form so I elected to use the sculpture as a plaster "plug", fabricate a fibreglass mold & lay up wood masks in the mold. A frame was constructed around the plug to form an edge for the mold.

The  mold was builtup, using standard  fiberglass techniques, except that auto body bondo was used rather than laying up sheets of fiberglass.

Legs were bonded to the mold, the core removed & the inner surface finished.

I chose wood putty to fabricate the masks. The material is relatively light, reasonably strong and takes a good finish. Fortunately I had a good supply of fine router cuttings from the high density hardboard used in my Kiosk project. 

Vegetable oil was used a a parting agent, sprayed lightly with a mister. It gave reasonable separation.  I will try WD40 for the next layup.

I mixed small quantities - to insure using the material before it starts to set - mix 15 ml (1tbsp) of carpenters glue, and 7.5ml (1/2 tbsp) of water, then work in 30 ml (2tbsp) of sawdust. Experiment with the mixture to get a very soft creamy putty, like toothpaste. The material is easy to work, spreads well, holds its shape & adheres well to itself. 

I used 3  2mm (1/16") layers with lots of drying time (2 weeks?) between.

Repair imperfections with wood filler, sand & prime to prepare the surface.

Gecco & acrylics provide a finished product, my first attempt to reflect a west coast, aboriginal, first nation, native, three dimensional image - in the form of a mask - "Smiling Mother"

EAGLE WARRIOR MASK

My next attempt was in response to this Haida eagle warrior which I found in a article.

A second mast was molded, sections removed and added with the same wood putty and worked to a final shape.

Painted the mask was basically finished for display.

With this mask I also experimented with wearability. Both masks fit comfortably around the face, but the eye hole location was a challenge. I cut small viewing eye holes in the area surrounding the mask eyes and changed the colour to black. For display, black electrical tape on the inside the mask makes the viewing holes almost unnoticeable. 

An intimidating "Eagle Warrior" ?

A friend requested a painting with images of a Orca & a Bear so I worked up a small 12” plaque. The images are reflections on Bill Reid's Killer Whale & the headdress of a Tlingit Chief we visited during our trip to Alaska in 2013.

RAVEN MASK

My third mask is a reflection on Raven images. In the Haida Culture, Raven plays an important role. The  creation story says that Raven opened a clam shell from which the Haida people emerged. Bill Reid portrayed the event in his Raven & the First Man sculpture now at the UBC Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver. I had a good look in 2004.

The Raven in Bill Reid's Spirit of Haida Gawii sculpture at the Museum of Man & Civilization at Hull Quebec was another influence on my mask.  The cunning trickster, Raven, holds the steering paddle, symbolic of nature's unpredictability. 

My mask was fabricated by modifying a duplicate of the Smiling Mother Mask. A profile for the addition (and removal) was drawn to fit the original mask.

A horizontal section was developed to outline the basic shape for the addition. Cardboard versions of the horizontal and vertical structures were cut out, fitted to the mask and used in cutting the molds for the permanent structures that shape the addition.

Molds for the structures for the addition were cut from scrap plastic and sprayed with WD40. The structures for the addition were then molded with the wood putty mixture.

The structure for the profile was held in place by an adjustable light & secured to the mask with the wood putty mixture.

A piece of wood held in a vise with a base tilted to the appropriate angle provided support for the horizontal sections. Right &

                                                                                 Left.

                                            Foam was used to support the buildup of the bill.

      Build up of the eye & brow and cutting down of the brow was started.

Eye holes were located & plastic tubes used to gauge the depth of the buildup. The cheek & mouth of the original mask still have not been modified. Note that the weight of the build up required a clamp to keep the mask balanced. 

       I decided to remove the interior of the structure to lighten the mask and keep it in balance.

Cardboard was added to support the buildup of the beak, top and

Bottom. In hindsight the structure should have been built with this step in mind - with ribs rather than solid sections – would have saved cutting out the interior.

     The basic shape is starting to mature.

Wood filler was used to fill in small imperfections, the eye openings cut and the nostrils added.

The mask, after layers of wood filler, sealer primer and Gesso have been added, with intermittent sanding and with the layout for painting added.

Traditional Haida colours were chosen for painting

Almost Finished

Warrior (2013),Smiling Mother (2011) & Raven (2015)

Mask # 4 -Another Raven

The second Raven had several slight changes to shape - beak more horizontal  beak and eyes slightly smaller.

    The “structure” is established as additions to the base mask





     The vertical & horizontal beak structures are outlined on this drawing

Enough planning - on with construction and applying some of lessons learned from first Raven mask

1.. The ‘structure “can be cut easily from 1/4” foam board". and the sides of the beak can be formed from cardboard

 

2. Portions of the first Mold can be eliminated if not needed in the “build up” - we left out the nose.

3. The structure can be self supporting for insulation.

4. Beak sides can be held in place with tape & clamps until paste sets up. 

5. A trial  version of the beak fill in can be cut from paper & modified till it fits. It can then be used as a pattern for the final 2 cardboard fill ins. 

6. A small hole is drilled in the corner of the eye to insert a small tub

7. The tubes in the Eyes help position the plastic to form a guide. A guide for shaping the second side of the mask can be traced on plastic & cut out to allow tracing on to the other side

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8. The guide is traced with a marking pen & slots cut with a sharp knife

9. Shapes for the “nostril” are cut from ¼” foam & secured to the beak infill

                                

10.  Top of nostril shaped with cardboard & the mask is in final form ready for finish.

Finished Raven

Another requested painting - Orca & Bear

Mask #5 is an Eagle mask inspired by the eagle image on a Tlingit War Helmet Rediscovered after 100 years 

This fantastic Tlingit war helmet was rediscovered  in 2013 in the backroom of a museum in Springfield, Massachusetts.  The helmet was accessioned in 1899 as an “Aleutian hat”. Only 95 war helmets are known, with the largest collections found in Russia.  They are part of an elaborate system of armour known from the contact and early historic period in Tlingit territory (Southeast Alaska – Alaska Panhandle).

They are carved from a single piece of wood, in this case with an eagle crest or motif. 

In the “The Battle of Sitka, June 1802“  The armour included helmets and neck guards, or gorgets. The helmet and gorget together make just a little slit for the eyes, not to mention fearsome appearance

Russian and Tlingit conflicts occurred in Southeast Alaska in the late 1700’s and early 1800s. Sometime near the summer solstice in 1802 hundreds of Tlingit warriors attacked the Russian/Aleut settlement of St. Michael’s, near present day Sitka, Alaska, slaughtering most of the inhabitants. In a carefully planned assault half of the attacking force came by immense war canoes and the other half descended on the fort from the surrounding forest.

A Russian historian named Khlebnikov wrote this passage about the attack:

The Tlingits “suddenly emerged noiselessly from the shelter of the impenetrable forests, armed with guns, spears and daggers. Their faces were covered with masks* representing the heads of animals, and smeared with red and other paint; their hair was tied up and powdered with eagle down. Some of the masks were shaped in imitation of ferocious animals with gleaming teeth and of monstrous beings. They were not observed until they were close to the barracks; and the people lounging about the door had barely enough time to rally and run into the building when the (Tlingits), surrounding them in a moment with wild and savage yells, opened a heavy fire from their guns at the windows. A terrific uproar was continued in imitation of the cries of the animals represented by their masks, with the object of inspiring greater terror.”

Today, a few helmets are still brought out at ceremonial gatherings, such as potlatches, to commemorate prominent events and honor past clan elders.  Because they are associated with combat, the helmets are not actually worn on the head during such peaceful gatherings, but are instead held in hand or perhaps held over the head of someone needing spiritual support.

First step -  -in developing our mask - enlarge the photo to the required size.

Next - Sketch the basic shape & form

Work out the details for the eye, its surround, the nostril & the divide between beak & body & eye

Develop guides for the shaping & painting of both sides of the mask

And specific guides for the shape of the beak, cutting the sides & paint features.

Next  work out the structural details

Note  the outline for the cap on the lower right of the sketch. ¼’ foam additions are added horizontally to the mask where the beak meets the top.  Note also the Jaw addition added under the lower beak fill.

The drawing also provided layouts for the upper & lower beak structures and the beak sides.

Beak horizontal structure

Enough “planning “ - on with construction

When molding the base mask for the eagle we left out to much, should

- fill in the mask eye completely - it is left blank here - an error

- keep forehead

-keep nose, top & bottom as done in the picture & leave out mouth “slot”

- leave out cheek bulge, we left in here

Note light wooded support added to mask to help keep it’s shape when out of the mold

Now let us assemble the parts-

Since the beak structure is horizontal, scrap material taped to the bench can support the mask & the beak

Paste place

The lower beak structure is then added to the mask ( actually the mask is sitting vertically on bench

The sides of the beak are clamped & taped on  - note the extension of mask sides

and the flat fill in of the mouth slot, eye and the cheek bulge (it was cut away after molding)

The final mask - ready for paint touch up & wear ability experimenting.

Note the eye cut out - it can be covered inside with black electrical tape for display.

The nostrils are open to the inside of the mask

Since we were experimenting with “wear ability” this mask was also provided with breathing holes in the lower beak

The surround was app. ¼” thick. A shallow notch was cut in the surround to accommodate the clips and they are held in place temporarily by small clamps

We used clips from scrapped swim fins as anchors for the mask straps.

Sliding part of clip is secured with tape & pivoting joint lubricated with wd40

Then clips are permanently secured by the normal paste

Dive mask straps are secured to clips & mask.

The mask eyes do not share the same view - The view is divided by the beak. Ironically the eyes have a small common view though the nostrils, giving depth in a limited field.

Note Wearer’s eye slot is shown in this picture - because flash was used to take picture.

Black bike rider’s skull cap blends with mask

This eagle is ready to fly!!!