1. Native Art

2. Traditional Native Art:
Native peoples have decorated their personal possessions and created sacred and ceremonial objects for thousands of years
They embroidered their clothing, carved designs in bowls and utensils, and created elaborate basketry
Spiritual beliefs were expressed in finely crafted pipes and masks
These objects were a direct reflection of their culture and everyday lives
Dene dress made from moosehide, velveteen, beads, and pieces of tin

3. Mi’kmaq quillwork boxes
Mi’kmaq women crafted boxes, dishes, and baskets out of porcupine quills.

4. Iroquois “False Face” Masks
During healing ceremonies, a carved wooden mask is worn to represent the spirits.

5. Wampum Belts
Shell beads were woven into patterned belts and used to record important events, ideas, contracts, or treaties among nations.

6. Traditional Native Art:
In the past, the majority of Native artworks could be carried or worn, since most people lived in small family groups that moved around their territories with the seasons
A Lakota (Sioux) peace pipe stem, without the pipe bowl, displayed at the United States Library of Congress

7. West Coast Art:
On the West Coast, Native people were more settled because of an abundance of food all year round
This led to the creation of large artworks, such as totem poles, canoes, and houses
Gitxsan totem poles and houses, in British Columbia

8. West Coast Totem Poles
Placed in front of homes and represent family crests, clans and chiefs
Also act as mortuary poles to commemorate a deceased person

9. West Coast Totem Poles

10. West Coast Canoes

11. West Coast Art:
The subject matter of West Coast art reflects animals, humans, nature, ancestral stories, and mythological creatures
One of the most well-known West Coast First Nations groups is the Haida
Characteristics of Haida art include heavy black formlines, which outline the main shape of the animal/person, as well as U-forms, S-forms and ovoids – which resemble rounded rectangles.

12. West Coast Art:
Animals are also shown as having faces within their forms to represent death as well as rebirth
These interior faces also represent animism (the belief that all things in nature have a spiritual essence)
Although there are subtle differences in shapes and style between West Coast Native artists, they all share common forms, outlines, and a flat 2D style

13. Traditions Evolve:
Contact with non-Native people affected Native art in a number of ways:
European trade goods such as glass beads and metals were incorporated into artworks
When government regulations banned traditional ceremonies, the arts associated with these ceremonies were sometimes lost, forgotten, or put in museums
Some artists changed traditional designs to make them more popular with tourists or collectors
Artists adopted new techniques, materials, and styles as they were exposed to new ideas

14. Contemporary Artists:
Many Native artists still create traditional artworks
Others are exploring new styles, or searching for ways to balance their heritage with the desire for more individual artistic expression

15. Known as the "Picasso of the North "
Norval Morrisseau
Morrisseau, also called Copper Thunderbird, is a Canadian Native artist who fuses Ojibwa spirituality with contemporary art methods
Known as the "Picasso of the North "
Born in 1931, on Sand Point Reserve near Thunderbay, Ontario and died in 2007
Mother and Child, 2005, acrylic on canvas

16. Developed a style known as the Woodland School
Norval Morrisseau
Developed a style known as the Woodland School
Today this art style is called Anishnaabe painting, a reference to the artist’s heritage
Morrisseau painted animals, plants, ancestors and spiritual creatures that reflect Ojibwa culture and beliefs
Metamorphosis: Man into Turtle, 1977, serigraph print

17. Characteristics of his paintings include:
Norval Morrisseau
Characteristics of his paintings include:
x-ray perspectives,
vibrant colours,
heavy black outlines
skeletal shapes
interconnecting lines that symbolize sacred power
The first Native artist to have a solo exhibition displayed at the National Gallery of Canada in its 126 year history
Family of Birds, 1977, acrylic on canvas

18. Carl Beam
Made Canadian art history as the first Native artist to have his work purchased by the National Gallery of Canada as Contemporary Art
Born in 1943 to an Ojibwe mother and American father in M'Chigeeng First Nation, on Manitoulin Island
Died in 2005
Sitting Bull and Whale, 1990, etching on paper

19. The North American Iceberg, 1985, acrylic, photo-serigraph, and graphite on plexiglas

20. Beam departed from traditional Native styles
Carl Beam
Produced work in a variety of media, including watercolour, etching, pottery, photo-transfer on canvas, acrylic, and sculpture
Beam departed from traditional Native styles
His work combines imagery from the spiritual, the natural, and the political worlds
Robert Johnson, 2004, mixed media on plexiglass

21. His art bridges the gap between Native and popular cultures
Brian Jungen
Born in 1970, Jungen is an installation and sculpture artist from British Columbia with Swiss and Dunne-za ancestry
His art bridges the gap between Native and popular cultures
Transforms everyday items into Native symbols
The Prince, 2006, baseball gloves and dress form

22. Brian Jungen
Became well known for his series Prototypes of New Understanding
Consisted of Native masks assembled and hand-sewn from parts of Nike Air Jordan shoes and other sports equipment
Appropriated these items the same way that sports teams have used Native names and symbols

24. A painter and printmaker of Cree descent
Jane Ash Poitras
A painter and printmaker of Cree descent
Born in 1951 in Fort Chipewyan, Alberta and currently lives in Edmonton
Known for her collage-like technique, which incorporates photos
Pink Shamans, 1996, mixed media on canvas

25. Jane Ash Poitras
Uses layered images, found objects, and text to explore the historical and personal experience of Native people in Canadian society
Often adds to the meaning of her art by adding objects with symbolic significance to the surface of the compositions
Riel – Riel – Riel, 2002, mixed media on paper

26. Worked in many forms of art, but best known for his sculptures
Bill Reid
Worked in many forms of art, but best known for his sculptures
Born in 1920 to a Haida mother and an American mother, but not aware of his Native heritage until he was in his teens
Died in 1998
Raven and the First Men, 1980, cedar

27. Some of his major works were featured on the Canadian $20 bill
Bill Reid
His work usually portrays figures, animals, and scenes from Native folklore
One of the most important figures in the 20th century renaissance of Haida culture
Some of his major works were featured on the Canadian $20 bill

28. Bill Reid
Spirit of Haida Gwaii, 1986, bronze