Drawing Item Number: 3223/54 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

A drawing on a single-sided piece of white paper. The drawing is vertically oriented. Drawn at the very top of the page is a partially submerged lightning serpent(?); the upper body of the creature is out of the water while the snake-like tail is submerged. Drawn beneath the serpent's mouth is a human-like figure descending headfirst into the water. To the left of the serpent's tail is another human-like figure, to the right of the tail is a human skull. Drawn under the tail are two more human-like figures; the right figure has male genitalia. Below the human figures is a heron(?) with a pointy beak and long neck; small bubble-like circles exit the heron's mouth. Beneath the heron is a vertically positioned seal(?) covered in fur and decorated with curving lines with intermediate dots. At the bottom of the page, a multi-limbed piece of kelp extends upwards from the seabed. The artist's signature, a "M" with a line through it and two dots, is in the bottom right corner. The reverse-side of the paper is blank.

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

What

Name
Drawing
Identification Number
3223/54
Type of Item
drawing
Overall
height 18.6 cm, width 3.2 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
3223/0054