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Cultural Context

contemporary art; potlatch

History Of Use

Northwest Coast serigraphs are a contemporary art form, deriving from early 20th century drawings of traditional crest and decorative designs, commissioned by anthropologists and undertaken by artists such as Charles Edenshaw. Residential schools reinforced the medium, while discouraging the use of traditional themes. An important series of traditional designs in coloured pencil and watercolour were done by Mungo Martin for UBC in 1949-50. The 1960's saw the rapid growth of prints, first in unlimited poster editions, and later with the establishment of the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art at 'Ksan (1967), and of the Northwest Coast Indian Artists Guild (1977), limited edition art runs became the standard. Northwest Coast silkscreen prints are part of the mainstream art market, as well as, functioning within the native context as potlatch gifts, and commemorative prints. Although, there are distinctive regional styles, individual artists may work in several styles, or apply unique themes and variations to specific works.

Narrative

This print was created for presentation to certain guests at the Cranmer potlatch celebrating the return of confiscated regalia by the National Museum of Man, Ottawa, in 1979. This potlatch was held following the opening of the U'mista cultural centre in Alert Bay, B.C., on November 1, 1980. The Centre was built to house a collection of artifacts confiscated at Daniel Cranmer's potlatch in 1921. Along with the confiscation, certain Kwakwaka'wakw nobility were prosecuted and imprisoned for participating in the banned, traditional ceremonies. The removal of the potlatch ban and the return of the confiscated artifacts is an event of great significance for Kwakwala speaking people. The first 150 numbered prints were given as potlatch gifts and numbers 151 to 200 were sold after December 17, 1980.

Description

Sea otter design with a single profile in a near ovoid shape, open at the top with the head facing the hind limbs. The head is on the left side facing to the right side. Sea otter is on its back represented by black form lines, ovoids, etc., with some red detail including u forms. A red open mouth and a snub nose formed by an ovoid. Eye is double circle outline with circle tapering to points on each side. Large double ovoid at the shoulder. Forelimbs crosses chest with a four-fingered paw above the chest. Hind limb with a four-toed paw, curves up to face the head. Other details include double ovoids before the paws, a series of negative ovoids and split u's along the backbone, and stripe-like form lines along the belly. Pencil inscription along the bottom edge reads '162/200 Sea Otter Cranmer 80.' The print is on a horizontally rectangular, light brown paper piece.