#First Nations art

[superinjun]

We Are The Ocean

Ursala Hudson (Tlingit/Filipino/German)

collar: merino wool, silk, steel cones, leather. ravenstail patterns, crochet, basketry twining technique. Woman as a Wave shawl: merino wool, silk, cedar bark. chilkat and ravenstail patterns, crochet, basketry twining technique. Tidal apron: merino wool, silk, leather, steel cones. chilkat and ravenstail patterns.

“We Are the Ocean is an ensemble comprised of a collar, apron (entitled Tidal), and shawl (entitled Woman as a Wave). The collar and bottom edge of the shawl are twined using a basketry technique to bring delicacy to the regalia, made specifically to emphasize the wearer’s feminine essence. In place of the sea otter fur that traditionally lines the top of Chilkat and Ravenstail weavings, the merino weft yarns were used to crochet the collar and shawl’s neck lines, bringing forward and incorporating a European craft practiced by both my maternal (Tlingit/Filipino) and paternal (German) grandmothers. The high neck of the collar gives tribute to the Western aesthetics that have forever influenced the Indigenous cultures of our lands; with grace, we embrace that which cannot be undone, and use our new form to be better. The apron’s pattern was studied and graphed from an old Tlingit cedar bark basket, and represents the tides of our lives, as our lessons continue to arise in a revolving cycle, yet made of new debris. The repetitive pattern of the shawl represents the infinite connectedness of our sisters, mothers, aunties, and daughters. Blue lines break up inverted rows, representing the “past,” “present,” and “future,” acknowledging these concepts as irrelevant constructs that fall away when we commune with the Divine. The entire ensemble is worn to evoke the innate spirit of the Woman as an ethereal deity, that resides within us all.”

[thunderstruck9]

Bill Reid (Haida/Canadian, 1920-1998), Xhuwaji - Haida Grizzly Bear, 1990. Colour silkscreen, 21 1/2 x 21 1/2 in.

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #InternationalWolfDay 🐺:

Bill Reid (Haida, Pacific NW Coast, 1920-1998)

Haida Wolf - Godj, 1979

Colour silkscreen on paper, 16.5 x 17 in.

[thatdamnokie]

national cowboy & western heritage museum, oklahoma city, oklahoma.

[the-cricket-chirps]

Carl Ray

Moose

1977

[queerasfact]

Lookin' Good

Lookin’ Good was one of Australia’s first queer First Nations art exhibitions. Hosted in at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative in Sydney during Mardi Gras in 1994, the exhibition was curated by Gamilaraay, Wailwan and Biripi artist r e a, Bundjalung artist Matthew Cook, and Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal artist Brook Andrew. To quote Matthew:

The aim of the exhibition is to project a positive image of gays and lesbians within the Koori [south-eastern Australian Aboriginal] community and similarly projecting a positive image of Kooris within the Sydney gay and lesbian community.

The exhibition featured various works by queer Indigenous artists, including Matthew’s jeans (which he’s wearing in the picture), covered with various patches including the Aboriginal flag, and posters by Bundjalung artist Bronwyn Bancroft, exploring Queer Blak men’s experience during the AIDS crisis.

Boomalli has continued to host a queer exhibition as part of Mardi Gras each year, and this year celebrated 30 years of sharing queer, Indigenous art.

Keep an eye on this blog throughout the week as we continue highlighting queer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture for NAIDOC Week.

[Image source]

[de-mykel]

Nico Williams. Mnidnoominehnsuk/Spirit Berries, 2018.

over 54,000 Delica glass beads presenting 20 different stories

[triumph-of-adaptation]

Desirai.art for NAIDOC Week 2024

[christinadrag0n]

All of the drums I have painted so far 🪶✨

🖤❤️💛🤍

[thererisesaredstar]

Autumnal Owl by Kenojuak Ashevak (1999)

[kounoe]

got a couple pieces of singing tsuchinokou based on the folklore fatty (said lovingly) magical snake

wondering if I could find a way to rig them to sing with them maybe? we'll see it depends on life & health

[superinjun]

Spaced Invaders - 2014

Sonny Assu (Ligwilda'xw Kwakwaka'wakw)

digital intervention on an Emily Carr painting (Heina, 1928)

[thunderstruck9]

Alex Janvier (Canadian/First Nations, 1935-2024), Lubicon, 1988. Acrylic on canvas, 165.2 x 267 cm. Art Gallery of Alberta

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #WorldPorcupineDay :

Robert Kakaygeesick, Jr. (Ojibwa, 1948-2020) Untitled (Porcupine) Signed watercolor, 17 1/2 x 23 1/4 in.

[alittleguyaday]

A Little Guy on a Yup'ik harpoon line, c1885-1930!

Little Guy rating: 10/10

Notes: ivory little guy! probably a seal!

[the-cricket-chirps]

Carl Ray

Thunderbird in Human Form

1972