31 December 2025
Introduction The orca, also known as the killer whale, is a powerful and recurring figure in Northwest Coast Native art symbolism. It appears in both traditional and contemporary Indigenous artworks. Often associated with family, strength, protection, and ancestral connection, the orca reflects cultural knowledge shaped by ocean life, oral histories, and artistic lineage. As with […]
28 December 2025
Introduction The frog is a recurring figure in Northwest Coast Native art symbolism, appearing in both traditional and contemporary Indigenous artworks. Often associated with transformation, communication, and connection to the natural world, the frog reflects cultural knowledge shaped by place, story, and artistic lineage. As with many Northwest Coast Native art symbols, the meanings of […]
27 December 2025
Symbolism as Visual Language Symbolism plays a central role in Northwest Coast Native art, serving as a visual language through which stories, histories, and cultural knowledge are shared. For Indigenous artists of the Northwest Coast, symbols are not simply decorative motifs—they are meaningful forms that carry ancestral teachings, social values, and connections to land, water, […]
09 November 2025
Pollinators: The Foundation of Life Pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, bats, and butterflies are the unsung heroes of our ecosystems. These small creatures play an important role in sustaining life on Earth. Around 75% of the world’s flowering plants and 35% of global food crops rely on pollinators for reproduction. Without them, we would lose not […]
09 November 2025
One of the most frequent motifs in Coast Salish art was also a tool of high cultural importance. The spindle whorl allowed Salish women to weave beautiful textiles of spiritual and social significance. The spindle whorl was used to spin fleece into a thick yarn. It consisted of a small disk (whorl) with a shaft, […]
09 November 2025
From the Tlingit in Alaska to the Coast Salish in Southern British Columbia and Northern Washington; the Pacific Northwest is home to more than a dozen First Nations. It is an area of exceptional linguistic, cultural, and artistic diversity. The brief discussion of Northwest coast art below outlines some of the major cultural art styles. […]
09 November 2025
Ours was an abundant land. Our forests, meadows, creek sides, marshes and seashores offered many plants for our use. – Dave Elliott Sr., 1980 This Area Was A Natural Park Climbing up the summit at Beacon Hill Park in Victoria, BC, visitors can see a plaque affixed to a rock that reads: When Victoria was […]
09 November 2025
Introducing KC Hall Heiltsuk artist KC Hall represents a new generation of Native artists. He is combining graffiti with traditional form line. In the process he is reaching a whole new group of art enthusiasts. The thought that he might be ruffling the feathers of traditionalists along the way is of no concern to him. […]
09 November 2025
The area from Vancouver Island to the lower BC mainland and the coastline down to Oregon has been home to the Coast Salish for millennia. This is also where a unique breed of dog, which came to be known as the Salish Wool dog, had its origin. The Locals Wear Woven Fur When Spanish explorer […]
09 November 2025
Kwakwaka’wakw art has a long history of tradition and innovation, of legacy and inventiveness. Since the beginning, it’s been an evolving exploration of expression, design and form. Who are the Kwakwaka’wakw? The Kwakwaka’wakw (pronounced Kwak-wak-ya-wak), or Kwagiulth, are the original inhabitants of northern Vancouver Island, the adjacent mainland and the islands in between. Kwakwaka’wakw literally […]
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