Artist working on benefit to save the salmon. 

Peoples of the Coast

Unique in the world of so-called "primitive art," the full, rich range of the art of North America's Northwest Coast Indians has only recently begun to take a prominent place in the museum exhibitions and art galleries of the world. In the market place, original works by native artists and craftspeople have become highly prized collectors' items commanding substantial sums of money.

  Because the site is concerned with the graphic art, illustrations are mainly taken from painted household and ceremonial items and contemporary silkscreen designs, but many of the symbols of identification can be found in carved works also, and a few examples are given.

Contemporary art of the Northwest Coast Indians, particularly in the field of print making, has evolved through many changes in a short period.The past decade has been a time of cultural searching for many of the artists who were caught up in a rather general Northwest Coast style (based largely on northern art) and found that they needed to define and establish a style that was essentially their own people with roots in their own traditions.  Through their researches, and with the help of the elders of their villages, the artists have succeeded in determining their own cultural distinctions, and in so doing have made us aware of their regional differences.

  Considered six ethnographically distinct peoples, the Coast Salish, the West Coast people (or Nootka), the Kwagiutl, the Tsimshian, the Haida and the Tlingit shared cultural, economic and environmental backgrounds.  They were all hunters and gatherers who lived along the river valleys and coastal waters of the Pacific Northwest, skillfully using the abundant resources of river, sea and forest.  In this book's final chapter the reader will gain an idea of how to distinguish the art of the different cultural areas by looking at examples of design - mainly contemporary prints.  I have not included the relatively small group of the Bella Coola people; although in sculpture a clear distinction exists between their styles and that of the other groups, it is less distinctive in painted form, and none of the people of that region are, as yet, working in two dimensional design.

  Along with most of the mythical and crest figures I have included a selection of legends and myths pertaining to them.If you are interested in learning more about the tribes of British Columbia, try this site, run by the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs: www.ubcic.bc.ca