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The Magic Leaves: A History of Haida Argillite Carving
Peter L. Macnair and Alan L. Hoover
CA$39.95This book recounts the history of Haida argillite carving since it began in the early 1800s, and describes more than 200 examples from the extensive collection of the Royal British Columbia Museum.
Argillite is a dense, black shale mined from a quarry on Haida Gwaii, reserved for the exclusive use of Haida carvers. Argillite works are unique in style and character, ranging from ceremonial pipes and model poles to elaborate platters and chests.
Published in 2002
Softcover
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Inuit Modern: Art from the Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection
Gerald McMaster
CA$55.00A gorgeous retrospective on the transformation of Inuit art in the 20th century, mirroring the vast and poignant cultural changes in the North.
In response to a rapidly changing Arctic environment, Inuit have had to cope with the transition from a traditional lifestyle to the disturbing realities of globalization and climate change. Inuit art in the latter half of the 20th century reflects the reciprocal stimulus of contact with Euro-Canadians and embodies the evolution of a modern Inuit aesthetic that springs from an ancient cultural context, creating an exciting new hybridized art form.
Inuit Modern: Art from the Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection situates modern Inuit art within a larger framework that reinterprets the Canadian Arctic. Essays by leading Canadian scholars in the field including Ingo Hessel, Robert McGhee, Christine Laloude, Heather Igloliorte, Dorothy Eber and Bernadette Driscoll Engelstad examine the social, political and cultural transformation through the dynamic lens of colonial influence and agency. Inuit Modern also features interviews with David Ruben Piqtoukun and Zacharias Kunuk.
Published in 2011
Softcover
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Hei-Matau Pendant
Peter Bishop
CA$940.00New Zealand Jade
Hei-Matau represents prosperity, abundance and fertility. The wearer of a Hei-Matau is seen as a provider and protector who is strong willed and determined to succeed in life. They are worn to protect travelers over water, and are also symbols of power and authority which are held in great reverence by the Maori people. They were used practically as a tool for fishing and often decorated as a sign of respect for sea creatures.
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Koru Pendant
Maori Artist
CA$70.00Bone
The Koru’s closed outer circle represents the circle of life which has no beginning or end, is seamless and of which we are all a part. It also tells of the stars and plants which are part of the circle of life and contain knowledge of our origins. For the artist, it represents the relationship or oneness between himself and his craft, bringing together head, hand and heart.
The spiral of a Koru, which is the fern frond as it opens, brings new life and purity to the world. It also represents peace, tranquility and spirituality along with a strong sense of re-growth or new beginnings. The Koru is often associated with nurturing so is frequently used to represent strength and purity of a loving relationship within a family.
The intertwining of these elements represent oneness within the natural world where spirituality, strength, beauty, old and new life all blend into one unifying force.
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Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast
Ian M. Thom
CA$60.00In a stunning resurgence over the past few decades, contemporary First Nations artists of the Northwest Coast have established themselves as among the most dynamic and important artist working in North America. Challenging Traditions honours this success by presenting the work of 40 of the most celebrated living artists, whose achievements reveal an accomplished melding of contemporary vitality with traditional genres. The work of such acknowledged masters as Robert Davidson, Dempsey Bob, Susan Point, Preston Singletary, Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Jim Hart, and Richards Hunt, plus many younger artists, is presented in 100 colour photographs of primarily new pieces, amply demonstrating that the historic strengths of Northwest Coast culture are alive, well and continuously evolving.
For more than a century, the state and church actively discouraged First Nations from pursuing their traditional cultures, but they persisted in keeping alive their art and ceremony. With the rise of cultural and political activism, Native art is now flourishing on an unprecedented scale. Many artists are examining the meaning and purpose of First Nations art in the twentieth-century, while following traditions and boldly experimenting with innovative subjects, techniques and materials.
Ian Thom explores these contradictions by describing the career, working methods and philosophy of each artist, all of whom he interviewed especially for this book. He also discusses at least two significant recent artworks by each artist.
Both senior and younger artists from all of the major First Nations on the Northwest Coast are featured, working in a variety of media and styles: groundbreaking abstract painting and metal sculptures, painstakingly woven spruce root hats and ceremonial woollen robes, works in glass, masks, carved panels, painted drums, striking political paintings, “Haida manga,” jewelry, carved argillite works and bentwood boxes.
This book is beautiful, provocative introduction to the best contemporary First Nations art of the Northwest Coast, in the words and works of some of its leading lights.
Published in 2009
Hardcover
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Huupukanum Tupaat : Out of the Mist: Treasures of the Nuu Chah Nulth Chiefs
Martha Black
CA$39.95This visually sumptuous book features works of the historical and contemporary importance of Nuu Chah Nulth art and culture. It illustrates and documents the traveling exhibition of the same name curated by the Royal British Columbia Museum.
Huupukwanum and Tupaat are Nuu-chah-nulth words that designate everything a chief owns, including valued hereditary names and songs, objects and dances, rights and privileges, lands and resources.
These Nuu-chah-nulth concepts introduce non-aboriginal people to the profound philosophical, spiritual and personal connections that these objects had – and continue to have – with Nuu-chah-nulth communities.
Published in 1999
Softcover
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Totem Pole Carving: Bringing a Pole to Life
Vickie Jensen
CA$26.95The totem pole is a distinctive and widely admired form of traditional Northwest Coast Native art. Once nearly lost, this art form is alive and thriving today. In this beautifully photographed book, Vickie Jensen collaborates with Norman Tait, a renowned Nisga’a artist, and his crew of young carvers to document the process of transforming a log into a totem pole.
Throughout the carving process, Tait requires the apprentices to make their own tools, design their regalia and practice traditional drumming, songs and dances. He teaches the young carvers that carving a pole requires more than time and labour, more than a firm understanding of the tools and techniques and more than artistic and emotional commitment. The process involves respecting and following tradition and becoming involved in their cultural background.
Published in 2003
Softcover
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The Raven Steals the Light
Robert Bringhurst and Bill Reid
CA$14.95Ten masterful, complex drawings by Bill reid are accompanied by ten episodes from Haida mythology told by Bill Reid and Robert Bringhurst. The result brings Haida art and mythology alive as never before.
Published in 1996
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Softcover
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Haida Monumental Art: Villages of the Queen Charlotte Islands
George MacDonald
CA$80.00George MacDonald, Director of the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, combines ethnohistory, archaeology and stunning photodocumentation to explain the physical and cultural structure of a Haida village. He shows how architecture and totem poles are an integral part of the social and religious aspects of Haida culture.
Published in 1994 by Douglas & MacIntyre
Paperback
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S’abadeb The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists
Barbara Brotherton
CA$50.00Coast Salish oral traditions, history and artistry from prehistory to the present is captured in this visually stunning book.
A principal at the heart of Salish culture is a reciprocal exchange of physical, spiritual and intangible gifts, including songs, spirit powers, titles, names, food, natural resources and artistic creations. The term for “gifts” in Lushootseed, a Coast Salish dialect, is S’abadeb and this book illuminates the concept by exploring the intersection of art with ceremony, oral traditions, the land, and contemporary realities.
Published in 2008
Softcover
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Tsimshian Treasures: The Remarkable Journey of the Dundas Collection
Donald Ellis
CA$55.00A collection of 36 Tsimshian masterpieces from northern British Columbia, collected over 140 years ago.
Edited by Donald Ellis, with essays by Steven Clay Brown, Bill Holm, Alan L. Hoover, Sarah Milroy, and William White.
Tsimshian Treasures is an extraordinary collection of masterpieces from the Dundas collection that were acquired by Reverend Robert J. Dundas in October 1963 from Natives at Old Metlakatla. The images and essays in this book honour a remarkable moment in Canadian cultural history and the triumphant return of these masterworks of Northwest Coast art after more than a century in exile.
Published in 2007
Hardcover
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Breathing Stone: Contemporary Haida Argillite Sculpture
Carol Sheehan
CA$42.00Working with a soft black stone known as Argillite, Haida sculptors over a period of two centuries have created a stunning body of work that is exceptional in its craftsmanship and beauty.
Haida argillite sculpture constitutes one of the longest creative traditions in Canadian art. What is not always recognized is that this art form also serves as a rich portrayal of Haida history. Following the initial Euro-American contact, the Haida experienced devastating losses of population and the virtual disappearance of their culture. Argillite sculpture became almost the only means for the Haida to preserve their sense of who they were as a people. Their art became postcards to the universe explaining a heritage threatened with extinction.
Now, a renaissance of Northwest Coast art is taking place. New artists, combining outstanding skill with an awareness of artistic developments on a global scale, are creating work of impressive quality and sophistication. Through their art, stories and fundamentals of an ancient Haida culture gain meaning and vitality for a contemporary audience.
Published in 2008
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Susan Point: Coast Salish Artist
Gary Wyatt
CA$59.00This beautiful book marks the exciting emergence of Susan A. Point as a major artist on the Northwest Coast. Point’s striking and distinctive art in the Coast Salish tradition – from jewellery in precious metals to prints, paintings and monumental pieces in wood and glass – has won worldwide acclaim. Featuring 62 full-colour and 21 black and white images.
Published in 2000
Softcover
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Bill Reid and Beyond: Expanding on Modern Native Art
Karen Dufffek and Charlotte Townsend-Gault
CA$45.00Academically charged, this book offers a wide-ranging and thought-provoking collection of art and cultural scholars reappraisals regarding Bill Reid’s career and compelling artwork. Aware of political, economic and social events, this book examines and adds to the ongoing debate about aboriginality and modern art.
Published in 2005
Hardcover
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Understanding Northwest Coast Art
Cheryl Shearer
CA$22.95This easily read book introduces the reader to various symbols, crests and beings depicted in Northwest Coast artworks. Shearer provides brief descriptions of design conventions, elements and differences between cultural groups while explaining the interconnections between art, myth and ceremony.
Published in 2000
Softcover
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Cedar
Hilary Stewart
CA$29.95Hilary Stewart explains through her vivid descriptions, 550 drawings and 50 photographs, the tools and techniques used, as well as the superbly crafted objects and their uses in the context of daily and ceremonial life. Anecdotes, oral history and the accounts of early explorers, traders, missionaries and native elders highlight the text.
Published in 1995
Softcover
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Inuksuit
Norman Hallendy
CA$35.00Inuksuit are amongst the oldest and most important objects placed by humans within the vast Arctic landscape. Beautifully photographed, this first comprehensive book tells about the Arctic Inuksuit as told by Inuit Elders.
Published in 2001
Softcover
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Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast
Hilary Stewart
CA$17.95This indispensable and beautifully illustrated book is the first to introduce everyone, from the casual observer to the serious collector of Northwest Coast prints, to the forms, cultural background and structures of this highly imaginative art.
Published in 1992
Softcover
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Looking at Totem Poles
Hilary Stewart
CA$17.95Looking at Totem Poles is an indispensable guide to 110 poles which exist in outdoor locations in coastal British Columbia and Alaska. Hilary Stewart provides an account to the various poles types, their function and symbolism and how they were raised.
Published in 1993
Softcover
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Native American Art
Peter Bolz and Hans-Ulrich Sanner
CA$55.00The Collections of the Ethnological Museum Berlin.
The North American collection in the Ethnologisches Museum Berlin ranks among the most important in Europe. Different Native American cultures of the United States and Canada are represented here as well as the peoples of the Arctic.
Published in 1999
Softcover
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Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form
Bill Holm
CA$44.90An important contribution to the fields of art and anthropology, Holm’s work is a genuinely analytical study of the basic elements of form which characterizes a particular aboriginal art style.
Published: 50th Anniversary Edition, 2015
Softcover
Bill Holm passed away on December 16, 2020 at the age of 95.
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