Tlingit Art - Totem Poles & Art of the Alaskan Indians

The Tlingit Indians of the Northwest Coast carved interior house posts, portal entrances and free standing totem poles with crests of animals, sea creatures, birds, legendary and human figures, successfully combining symbolism and realism. This book examines the social and artistic relevance of the Tlingit carving and relates many of the fascinating North American Indian legends upon which some of the carvings are based.

The insignia of the Pacific Northwest Coast cultures is the "Totem Pole." Historically, and continuing to the present time, eight different Indian groups inhabit an area extending from Yakutat Bay in southeastern Alaska to the Straits of Juan de Fuca lying off the north coast of Washington state; they comprise the Nootka, Kwakiutl, Tsimshian, Haida, Bella Coola, Salish, Makah and Tlingit.

Within this ethnic grouping, the differences in their distincting art styles vary from subtle to obvious but always retain an elegance and a balance of form, space and color within a totemic design. While the Tlingits, Haidas and Tsimshians all obtained great mastery in the art of carving cedar poles, it was the Tlingits who carried the tradition to pristine heights in combining realism with symbolism.

Maria Bolanz (Marilyn Williams) is the mother of Gloria Williams. Maria Bolanz is a descendant of the Blackfoot Nation and through marriage to a Tlingit is a member of the Carcross/Tagfish First Nation in Canada and a member of the Cook Inlet Regional Corporation in Alaska. She recieved a BA from Western College in Oxford, Ohio and an MS from Stanford University. She has also studied at the uinversity of Madrid in Spain and at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico. After retirement, she secured a BS in anthropology from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. She currently lives in Anchorage.

Gloria Williams is a member of the Taku River Tlingits First Nation of Canada. She is also a member of the Tlingit/Haida Tribe of southeast Alaska, as well as a member of Cook Inlet Regional Corporation (a corporation formed by the Indian land claims settlement in Alaska). Her heritage is both Canadian and Alaskan Tlingit. Gloria studied at the University of Alaska in Anchorage and now works for the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska.

Book info here: www.hancockhouse.com/products/tliart.htm

Tag: maria bolanz marilyn williams gloria williams tlingit art tlingit indians northwest totem poles crests animals creatures symbolism north american legends alaska yakutat washington nootka kwakiutl tsimshian haida bella coola salish makah first nation canada taku river anchorage native