Full Description
Inseparable from its communities, Northwest Coast art functions aesthetically and performatively beyond the scope of non-Indigenous scholarship, from demonstrating kinship connections to manifesting spiritual power. Contributors to this volume foreground Indigenous understandings in recognition of this rich context and its historical erasure within the discipline of art history.
By centering voices that uphold Indigenous priorities, integrating the expertise of Indigenous knowledge holders about their artistic heritage, and questioning current institutional practices, these new essays "unsettle" Northwest Coast art studies. Key themes include discussions of cultural heritage protections and Native sovereignty; re-centering women and their critical role in transmitting cultural knowledge; reflecting on decolonization work in museums; and examining how artworks function as living documents. The volume exemplifies respectful and relational engagement with Indigenous art and advocates for more accountable scholarship and practices.
Contents
Introduction
Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse
PART I. Cultural Heritage Protection: Questions of Rights and Authority
A Bear in the Cedar, by Duane Niatum
Chapter 1. The Seward Shame Pole: A Tlingit Countermonument to the Alaska Purchase
Emily L. Moore
Chapter 2. The Social Life of Stones: Haida hlg̱as7agaa/argillite and the Making of Inalienable Commodities
Kaitlin McCormick
Chapter 3. Morse Code for Creation: Jim Schoppert's Painterly Language for a Postmodern Revival
Christopher Green
Chapter 4. From "Artifakes" to "Surrogates": The Replication of Northwest Coast Carving by Non-Natives
Janet Catherine Berlo and Aldona Jonaitis
PART II. Women's Work: Stories, Art, and Power
One Square Inch, by Lily Hope
Chapter 5. Stl'inll ‾ Those with Clever Hands: Presenting Female Indigenous Art and Scholarship
Jisgang Nika Collison
Chapter 6. Copper Seaweed and Woven Octopus Bags: Shgen George and the Art of Resilience
Megan A. Smetzer
Chapter 7. Ellen Neel and Carving on the Coast: Three Decades of Change and Renewal
Lou-ann Ika'wega Neel
PART III. Changing Museums
Let Indigenous Reign, by Ishmael Hope
Chapter 8. In the Spirit of Reconciliation: Rethinking Collections and the Act of Engagement at the Museum of Vancouver
Sharon Fortney
Chapter 9. The Museum Disappeared: Northwest Coast Art and the Object of Display
Karen Duffek, Peter Morin, and Karen Benbassat Ali
Chapter 10. From Behind-the-Scenes to the Front of the House: Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired at the Burke Museum
Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse
Chapter 11. Woosh.Jee.Een, Pulling Together: Repatriation's Healing Tide
Lucy Fowler Williams, with contributions by Robert Starbard
PART IV. Beyond Art
Thoughts on Formline, by Iljuuwaas Tyson Brown
Chapter 12. Soft Robes of Thundering Power: Mountain Goat Fiber Textiles of the Northwest Coast
Evelyn Vanderhoop
Chapter 13. Sayach'apis and the Naani (Grizzly Bear) Crest
Denise Nicole Green
Chapter 14. Tlingit Art
Ishmael Hope
Conclusion. Fifty Years Studying Northwest Coast Art: A Personal View
Aldona Jonaitis
Contributors
Index
