Thitikorn Chansasitorn
tchansasitorn@zagmail.gonzaga.edu
Introduction
From southern Alaska to northern California, the Pacific coast of North America is a region of abundant resources. It has many rivers filled with salmon. Harvested, the fish could sustain a large population throughout each year. The people of the Northwest Coast–the Tlingit, Haida, the Kwakwaka’wakw–used this abundance to develop a distinctive lifestyle, where art played a central role. Animals are included prominently in the Northwest Coast art because each clan claimed descent from a mythic animal or animal-human ancestor, from whom the family derived its name and the right to use certain animals/spirits as representative emblems. A lot of animal representations will be a frequent sight through the arts I have selected for this exhibition. All chiefs of the different clans would hold ritual feasts (potlatches) to validate their status and gain prestige for themselves and families. During the ceremonies, shamans, male and female, mediated between the human world and spirit world. To call upon the guardian spirits, many staged ceremonies where dancers wore complex costumes and had carved wooden masks. For the Kwakwaka’wakw, the theatrical dancing rituals in the Winter Ceremony were to initiate or transform young members into the Hamatsa society. Some of the masks shown in this exhibit all drew inspiration from these ceremonial masks.
As you can see, the theme of spirituality is at the heart of this Northwest Coast art exhibition, illustrating how deeply the region’s Indigenous cultures interwove the spiritual and natural worlds. The artwork highlights the intricate connections between people, animals, and spirits—symbolized through carved masks, totem poles, and other ceremonial artifacts that each represent a story, lineage, or ancestral spirit. This exhibition emphasizes the symbolism of animals like the raven, eagle, and wolf, each embodying characteristics and lessons central to clan identities and stories.