fo c u s Native Artists Inspire Cultural Revival by Ann Macklcm Northwest Coast Native art enthusiasts will have the opportunity to experience two rather different exhibits this summer. Until September 26, the Vancouver Art Gallery will be displaying the works of Robert Davidson. Davidson is a senior Haida artist who produces everything from paintings and prints to sculptures and totem poles. He has also figured heavily in the revival of Haida ceremony, composing songs, creating dances and making drums. Accompanying Robert Davidson: Eagle of the Dawn is a photo exhibit chronicling his participation in traditional Haida He himself is not overly concerned with authenticity. While he works with traditional images, he also experiments with new materials (detail work with abalone shell has become his trademark), colors (in addition lo the usual red. white and black, he also uses bright blue and yellow) and styles (his first totem sports wings that actually protrude at an angle from the body of the thunderbird). The question of the degree to which Mark's aesthetics are authentic may well become a subject of debate, but what really matters i ; the incredible contribution he is making to his community in reviving its heritage. trying to leach these guys because we lost something--it's something that's got lo be brought back." Since the pole-raising o " W h e n that t o t e m pole finally s t o o d u p i n t h e a i r . . . it w a s Mark George ceremony (well-attended by some 200 people), there have been a few, albeit tentative, signs of renewed interest on the reserve (although as Mark is the first to point out. it remains to be seen whether the interest is motivated by community spirit or profit). Neighbours recently installed a small pole in their back yard, and when Mark works outdoors, kids crowd around and ask him countless questions. He is planning a totem project lor them this summer, so that they can experience carving firsthand. Visitors to Lonsdale Quay may not be able to try their hand al totem pole carving, but they w i l l be able to observe M a r k ' s techniques and ask questions. He will be on hand daily. For those who are interested in the ceremonial aspects of Native culture, there will be a pole-raising at the Quay on September 5th. with a traditional blessing, Native dancing, a salmon barbecue, and music by a Native folk/rock band. The North Shore plays host to an "exhibit" of a rather different nature. Throughout the summer months until Labour Day weekend, locals and visitors will be able to see Native art in the making, for free. Lonsdale Quay Market is bringing in Mark George, a 35-year-old artist from the local Burrard reserve, to carve an elaborate, 30foot totem pole. The pole will tell the myths of his people, using the motifs of the sun. the eagle, the killer whale, the greeting person and the bear. (The mythological significance of each of these symbols is explained on the facing page.) The totem will remain on site in recognition and acknowledgement of the people who first settled this land. the reawakening of o u r s o u l s , o u r s p i r i t s , it w a s t h e reconnection of s o m e of the values that still e x i s t e d . " O This is only Mark's second totem pole. His first (featured on the cover) was raised jusl a few months ago on the Burrard reserve-- the first totem to be raised by the band ever! Though Mark has been carving for about 15 years, working on smaller pieces (talking slicks, rattles, fish bowls, jewelry, figurines), it wasn't until recently that he fell knowledgeable and confident enough to undertake a project of this scale. While caning runs in the family--his grandfather Henry and Henry's brothers, Herbert. Dan and John, were known particularly for their canoes (one of which, a 54-footcr. is on display al Cates Park)--lhe tradition was Robert Davidson faced similar constraints in his struggle to access and rebuild his own cultural history, although artists like B i l l Reid had already begun to pave the way. A s Davidson remarks on the audioguide accompanying the V A G exhibit, echoing Mark's experience, "there was no evidence of a once great culture that I came from. There was no evidence anywhere in the village." It was to be found instead in museum display cases, books and photogrpahs. Davidson was more fortunate than Mark in that he learned his craft from his father and grandfather, yet their points of reference were also old and very fuzzy photographs. Like Mark, Davidson caned a totem pole for his home community (Masset). In his case, it was the first lo be erected in 50 years, the practice having stopped when the potlalch was outlawed. O f the raising, he remarks: "When that totem pole finally siood up in the air, it made me realize what was happening. It was the reawakening of our souls, our spirits, it was the . tin' I ihe existed. Some of the innate knowledge was demonstrated that day. It was knowledge that could noi be interviewed out of anybody. It had to be demonstrated." Mark George told me that on the day that his own pole was raised, at the very moment thai i i was put into place, erect, he saw an eagle Hying high up in lhe sky, dead center above the pole. He believes that it was his canoe-building grandfather's spirit sending a blessing. Mark hopes that his own influence on fellow band members, particularly the children, will be more immediate: "I'm li has taken Mark a long tirr the history, mythology and art of his people, the Tsla-a-wat (also known as the Sleil-Waututh. or children of the sea), and still gaps remain. He has had to consult books written by while anthropologists and historians, learn from the example of fellow carvers on the Squamish reserve, and piece together the few tales thai remain. He is not even certain that his artistic work is historically accurate-- reference books suggest that the Coast Salish (lhe European designation for the tribal group lo which the Tsla-a-wat belong) were the only Northwest Coast Indians not to have totems--bul he is determined lo uncover and revive as much of his culture as he can. so that it can be passed on to lhe younger generations. w 5