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, inserted through a hole in the middle. The shaft was up to four feet long, or 120 cm, while the whorl was up to eight inches across, or 20 cm. The whorl was intricately carved from w.... Read more >>

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. For simplification, a number of Indigenous cultures have been grouped under one heading, as the artistic work of these cultures exhibits many similarities. .... Read more >>

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 settled in 1843, this area was a natural park (….). Or so the Europeans who arrived by ship in 1842 thought. They were exploring the South coast of Vancouver Island, .... Read more >>

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. KC says, “Native art is nothing like it was 10 years ago. At one point everything was changing except for the form itself (….) and now people are adding to it and ma.... Read more >>