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Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast - Paperback | Diverse Reads

Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast

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Inseparable from its communities, Northwest Coast art functions aesthetically and performatively beyond the scope of non-Indigenous scholarship, from demonstrating kinship connections to manifesting spiritual power. Contributors to this volume foreground Indigenous understandings in recognition of this rich context and its historical erasure within the discipline of art history.

By centering voices that uphold Indigenous priorities, integrating the expertise of Indigenous knowledge holders about their artistic heritage, and questioning current institutional practices, these new essays "unsettle" Northwest Coast art studies. Key themes include discussions of cultural heritage protections and Native sovereignty; re-centering women and their critical role in transmitting cultural knowledge; reflecting on decolonization work in museums; and examining how artworks function as living documents. The volume exemplifies respectful and relational engagement with Indigenous art and advocates for more accountable scholarship and practices.

ISBN-13: 9780295750705

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: University of Washington Press

Publication Date: 08-01-2022

Pages: 344

Product Dimensions: 6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.80(d)

Age Range: 18 Years

Series: Native Art of the Pacific Northwest: A Bill Holm Center

Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse is director of the Bill Holm Center for the Study of Northwest Native Art, curator of northwest Native art at the Burke Museum, assistant professor of art history at the University of Washington, and coeditor of In the Spirit of the Ancestors: Contemporary Northwest Coast Art at the Burke Museum. Aldona Jonaitis is former director of the University of Alaska Museum of the North, professor of anthropology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and author of Art of the Northwest Coast andThe Yuquot Whalers' Shrine. The other contributors are Karen Benbassat Ali, Janet Catherine Berlo, Iljuuwaas Tyson Brown (Haida Nation), Jisgang Nika Collison (Haida Nation), Karen Duffek, Sharon Fortney (Klahoose), Christopher Green, Denise Nicole Green, Ishmael Hope (Inupiaq and Tlingit), Lily Hope (Tlingit), Kaitlin McCormick, Emily L. Moore, Peter Morin (Tahltan Nation), Lou-ann Ika'wega Neel (Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw), Duane Niatum (Jamestown S'Klallam), Megan A. Smetzer, Robert Starbard (Xunaa Tlingit), Evelyn Vanderhoop (Haida Nation), and Lucy Fowler Williams.

What People are Saying About This

Chadwick Allen

"Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast models best practices for Indigenous art studies—and for Indigenous studies broadly. Together, accomplished Native and non-Native curators, scholars, and artist-intellectuals innovate methodological approaches while confronting ongoing legacies of settler colonialisms and academic appropriations. As a bonus, the book is beautifully designed and illustrated."

Charlotte Townsend-Gault

"An example for scholars, in this and related fields, of the kinds of insight and exchange that can emerge when a diversity of voices and different frames of reference are juxtaposed."

Alan Hoover

"A welcome addition to Northwest Coast art historical scholarship."

Sonny Assu

"Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast is a definitive collection of writings that bring a conscious narrative of the past, present and future of Indigenous art. This collection of essays illustrates the thriving cultures that unsettle, entertain, inform, and challenge how art and culture from this diverse region are viewed and understood."

Table of Contents

Introduction Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse 3

Part I Cultural Heritage Protection: Questions of Rights and Authority A Bear in the Cedar, by Duane Niatum 22

Chapter 1 The Seward Shame Pole: A Tlingit Counter monument to the Alaska Purchase Emily L. Moore 25

Chapter 2 The Social Life of Stones: Haida hlgas7agaa/argillite and the Making of Inalienable Commodities Kaitlin Mccormick 41

Chapter 3 Morse Code for Creation: Jim Schoppert's Painterly Language for a Postmodern Revival Christopher Green 54

Chapter 4 From "Artifakes" to "Surrogates": The Replication of Northwest Coast Carving by Non-Natives Janet Catherine Berlo Aldona Jonaitis 76

Part II Women's Work: Stories, Art, and Power One Square Inch Lily Hope 92

Chapter 5 Stl'inll ∼ Those with Clever Hands: Presenting Female Indigenous Art and Scholarship Jisgang Nika Collison 95

Chapter 6 Copper Seaweed and Woven Octopus Bags: Shgen George and the Art of Resilience Megan A. Smetzer 117

Chapter 7 Ellen Neel and Carving on the Coast: Three Decades of Change and Renewal Lou-Ann Ika'wega Neel 133

Part III Changing Museums Let Indigenous Reign Ishmael Hope 150

Chapter 8 In the Spirit of Reconciliation: Rethinking Collections and the Act of Engagement at the Museum of Vancouver Sharon Fortney 153

Chapter 9 The Museum Disappeared: Northwest Coast Art and the Object of Display Karen Duffek Peter Morin Karen Benbassat Ali 174

Chapter 10 From Behind-the-Scenes to the Front of the House: Here & Now: Native Artists Inspired at the Burke Museum Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse 195

Chapter 11 Woosh.Jee.Een, Pulling Together: Repatriation's Healing Tide Lucy Fowler Williams Robert Starbard 218

Part IV Beyond Art Thoughts on Formline Iljuuwaas Tyson Brown 240

Chapter 12 Soft Robes of Thundering Power: Mountain Goat Fiber Textiles of the Northwest Coast Evelyn Vanderhoop 243

Chapter 13 Sayach'apis and the Naani (Grizzly Bear) Crest Denise Nicole Green 259

Chapter 14 Tlingit Art Ishmael Hope 274

Conclusion. Fifty Years Studying Northwest Coast Art: A Personal View Aldona Jonaitis 292

Contributors 313

Index 319