Drawing Item Number: 3223/61 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
On the front-side of part a is a poem, written in pencil, in both Nuu-chah-nulth and English. The poem on part a is horizontally oriented. To the right of the poem is the machine-printed descriptive information for the drawing printed on the reverse-side of the poem. On the reverse-side of part a is the left half of a whale print by the artist. The whale is a blue-grey colour. An open, red human-like hand is depicted at the end of the pectoral fin. A being with a yellow eye, red mouth, and grey tongue is positioned in the centre of the whale's body. On the front-side of part b is a story, written in pencil, about a girl singing a tsiikyak and then jumping off of a cliff. The story is written vertically on the paper. The reverse-side of the story is the right half of the whale print. The right half of the whale mirrors the left half (part a) with the exception that the red human-like hand on the right half grips a black raven. Printed in the bottom of part b, near the whale's tail, is the artist's signature and two lines of text.
History Of Use
These 62 small works (3223/1-62) comprise a collection of drawings in pencil, ink, pencil crayon, and felt pen made by the artist between the years 1968 and 2015. During that period the artist has identified himself by the following names: Ron Hamilton; Hupquatchew; Ki-ke-in; Kwayatsapalth; Chuuchkamalthnii; and Haa’yuups. The drawings are, for the most part, applied to the backs of bookmarks acquired from a range of bookshops; some are applied to other pieces of paper or cutouts from his earlier silkscreen prints. Many of the images represent killer whales, often in conjunction with accoutrements and symbols of Nuu-chah-nulth whaling. The juxtaposition of bookmark and representation of Nuu-chah-nulth himwits’a, or narrative, is a deliberate and meaningful placement of two distinct knowledge systems in relationship with one another. Ephemeral drawings like these were not created for the market; the artist has long made them for himself and sometimes as gifts for relatives and friends; they are a way of sharing his knowledge and experience about Nuu-chah-nulth ways of knowing, thinking about, and being in this world; they are expressive of what he calls kiitskiitsa: marks made with intention.
Item History
- Made by Ron Hamilton (Maker) in British Columbia, Canada between 1968 and 2015
- Owned by Ron Hamilton before November 8, 2016
- Received from Museum of Anthropology Acquisitions Budget (Funding source), Michael O'Brian Family Foundation (Funding source) and Ron Hamilton (Seller) on November 18, 2016
What
- Name
- Drawing
- Identification Number
- 3223/61 a-b
- Type of Item
- drawing
- Part A
- height 4.8 cm, width 15.3 cm
- Part B
- height 15.3 cm, width 5.2 cm
Who
- Culture
- Nuu-chah-nulth: Hupacasaht
- Creator
- Ron Hamilton (Maker)
- Previous Owner
- Ron Hamilton
- Received from
- Museum of Anthropology Acquisitions Budget (Funding source), Michael O'Brian Family Foundation (Funding source) and Ron Hamilton (Seller)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- British Columbia, Canada
When
- Creation Date
- between 1968 and 2015
- Ownership Date
- before November 8, 2016
- Acquisition Date
- on November 18, 2016
Other
- Item Classes
- works on paper
- Condition
- excellent
- Accession Number
- 3223/0061 a-b