Northwest Coast Formline Art & Culture

Intro to Northwest Coast Art & Culture

Open Ended

Who are all the people in your group? (Max 3 people)

Objectives

• Learn about Northwest Coast Culture, Peoples, & Society

  • Societies & Structure

  • The Role of Art & The Potlatch

  • How Art Drew Inspiration

  • Impact of the Potlatch Ban

  • The Future of Formline Design & First Nations Art

• Gain an appreciation for Formline Design & Move towards Reconcilliation

Northwest Coast Peoples

Study this map carefully, you'll be quizzed about it in the next slide

The map shows some of the First Nations cultures located along the Northwest Coast that use Formline Design in their Artworks

Labelling

Label the map with some of the groups of the Northwest Coast to show their traditional locations

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Salishan

Nuu-chah-nulth

Haida

Tlingit

Tsimshian

Northwest Cultures continue north into Alaska, and south far past the US Border.

Northwest Coast peoples are composed of similar yet distinct​ groups who have their own customs, beliefs, and histories.

Drag and Drop

Formline art consists of certain ​

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that are drawn out one by one. When all the shapes are put together and colored in a continuous

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is formed.

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

shape(s)

form(s)

texture(s)

value(s)

line(s)

space(s)

Drag and Drop

For​

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years, Northwest Coast peoples have used formline art to design, ​

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Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Thousands

Hundreds

Millions

Carve, & Paint

Colour, & Etch

Shape, & Form

Family & Social Structure

Moieties:
Each society is broken up into at least two groups
• Eagles
• Ravens

You cannot marry someone from the same moiety. You were considered related.

Family & Social Structure

Clans and Households:
Subgroups of each moiety

• Each has the right to a different crest & stories

• Crests represent creatures their ancestors interacted with in the legendary past.

​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK1AFOD7SUE

Multiple Choice

True or false: A member of the Eagle moiety MUST marry someone else from the Eagle moiety

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False: Each Clan and Sub-Clan had the right to different crests & stories

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False: Crests represent legendary creatures one's ancestors interacted with in the legendary past

• True

• False

Labelling

Review: Label the Different Shapes

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Split-U

S-Shape

Ovoid

T-Shape

Inner Ovoid

U-Shape

–Art Making Tradition

“In Tsimshian culture, a story is told in oral
form, in written form from crests, and from symbols such as totem poles [which] focus on some of the clan histories...”

Function of Northwest Coast Art

1. Shows where you belong in a society:
   (e.g your position & family relationships)
   

2. Sharing Cultural Stories & Family Histories

Multiple Select

What are some functions of Northwest Coast Art?

• Shows your position in society

• Share Stories

• Share Family Histories

• Hoarde Wealth

• Show kinship/family Relationships

Multiple Choice

What is a potlatch?

• a special ceremony held by the Northwest Indigenous people

• a supper where everyone brings one dish

• a birthday party

• a sleepover

Multiple Choice

What does the word "potlatch" mean?

• to celebrate

• to perform

• to give

• to eat

Multiple Choice

The purpose of the potlatch is to...

• Recognize class structure and status

• Pass on a family’s rights and privileges (e.g. the right to specific dances, songs, stories)

• Celebrate the naming of babies, passing on of chief titles, and names held within a family

• Honor important people who have passed on

• All of the above and more

Multiple Select

For the Kwakwaka'wakw, being wealthy means...

• Having a lot of money in your savings account

• Accumulating a lot of property and stuff for your own use

• Accumulating a lot of stuff so you can give it away

Open Ended

Imagine the following scenario:

The year is 2050. The government has decided that everyone needs to assimilate to create a unified Canada. All cultural celebrations & practices are now outlawed and called wasteful and backwards. It is illegal for you and your family to celebrate your favorite holidays (e.g. Christmas, Kwanza, Diwali, Eid, etc.). If you do, you and your family will be arrested, thrown in jail (with no lawyer to represent you), and have all of your gifts, family heirlooms, art, and food confiscated.

How would you feel AND what would you do? Explain why.

​Watch the video to learn about the Potlatch Ban

Multiple Select

Why did Canada create the Potlatch Ban?

• They had First Nations Peoples best interests at heart

• They thought it would make First Nations Peoples more "civilized"

• They didn't understand the Potlatch & thought it was bad

• They were trying to eliminate Indigenous culture.

Multiple Choice

True or False: First Nations Peoples could be arrested for participating in a Potlatch

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or False: If arrested, participants were given a choice: surrendering their potlatch regalia (to prevent them from having future potlatches) or going to jail.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

What was looted from Haida Gwaii?

• totem poles

• human remains

• ceremonial headdresses

• All of the above

Multiple Choice

True or False: Most of the confiscated (i.e. stolen) regalia were eventually returned

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

True or false: Because of the Potlatch Ban, the First Nations Peoples of the Northwest Coast stopped having Potlatches entirely.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The Potlatch Ban was finally lifted in...

• 1950

• 1940

• 1960

• 1970

Multiple Choice

However, it would take until ____ for people to feel comfortable participating openly in potlatches

• 1950

• 1940

• 1960

• 1970

Open Ended

According to the article, who is Robert Davidson?

Open Ended

Explain: Are Davidson, and other First Nations peoples happy with Trudeau’s tattoo? Why or why not?

Open Ended

You walk into a tattoo parlor with a screenshot of a design you found online by your favorite Pinterest or Etsy artist. You ask the tattoo artist to tattoo it on your arm.

Why might this ALSO be a violation of Western Canadian values?

Open Ended

Is there a difference between purchasing a pair of Sondra Segundo's decorated sneakers to wear vs. tattooing Robert Davidson's design on your shoulder?

Explain your thinking.

Multiple Choice

Due to the Potlatch Ban, Residentail Schools, the Indian Act, and the looting of Northwest Coast material culture, the pracitce of Formline Design has died out

• True

• False