Coast Salish art facts for kids

The Coast Salish art is a unique kind of art from the Pacific Northwest Coast. The Coast Salish peoples live in parts of British Columbia and Washington state. Their art has two main forms: flat designs and carvings, and also basketry and weaving. Historically, men usually made carvings and paintings of spirits and ancestors. Women, on the other hand, created baskets and woven items, often with abstract patterns.

History of Coast Salish Art

The Coast Salish region was one of the first areas on the Pacific Northwest Coast where non-native people settled. This led to quick changes in their culture. Because of this, we have fewer old art pieces from the Coast Salish compared to other Northwest Coastal art styles.

Longhouses and Carvings

The Coast Salish people lived in large homes called longhouses. These were made from cedar planks and beams. Many families lived together in one longhouse. Inside, there were sleeping platforms about 3 or 4 feet off the ground. Sometimes, large beams inside the longhouse, called "House Posts," were carved or painted. These carvings often showed ancestors, family history, or supernatural beings. Some longhouses were very big. For example, explorer Simon Fraser saw one that was 640 feet long and 60 feet wide!

The Sxwayxwey Mask Ceremony

In the central Coast Salish areas, the sxwayxwey (pronounced Skwayskway) mask ceremony is very important. Men from certain families have the right to join the sxwayxwey society. They wear special masks and perform a dance. Women also join in by singing a special song. The masks have unique features like round, bulging eyes, "horns" shaped like animal heads, and long, drooping tongues. They also have large feathers that form a crown. Dancers wear special regalia covered with feathers and leggings with hoof rattles.

Weaving and Textiles

The Coast Salish used wool from mountain goats and the now-extinct Salish Woolly Dog. They made woven mats, blankets, clothing, and robes from this wool. First, they cleaned the wool with a special earth to remove oils and make it white. Then, they twisted the wet wool into loose strands. These strands were then spun using a spindle. A spindle is a stick with a circular weight called a whorl. Some spindle whorls were plain, but others had beautiful carvings of designs and beings.

Blankets, mats, and robes were woven on looms. These looms had two upright bars and two horizontal rollers. Some loom poles were also carved with figures showing supernatural characters or family stories. Special combs were used to prepare the wool. Another tool helped push the weft (the crosswise threads) during weaving. Smaller woven items were often used every day. However, many larger robes showed how wealthy a family was.

Men typically carved house posts, grave markers, masks, and ritual items like rattles. Women made woven robes, some simple and some with complex colors and designs. Rattles were also made from mountain-goat horn. Coast Salish art can be seen on spindle whorls, house posts, welcome figures, combs, bent wood boxes, canoes, and many other cultural objects.

Revival of Coast Salish Art

Coast Salish art has seen a strong comeback in recent years. Many artists are helping to bring back and share this traditional art form. For example, Squamish artist Aaron Nelson-Moody carved a large cedar door for the 2006 Turin Olympic Games.

Cowichan artist Edward Joe creates fine jewelry and prints using Coast Salish art. He says that Coast Salish art has a smooth, calming feel. His art often shows stories, legends, and myths. He also designs animals from the land, sea, and sky in a fun way.

In 2008, the Seattle Art Museum held a special exhibition called "S'abadeb—The Gifts: Pacific Coast Salish Art and Artists." It featured 75 traditional and modern Coast Salish artworks from collections around the world.

What Makes Coast Salish Art Special?

Coast Salish art is different from other Northwest Coast art styles. It is often more simple and direct. The Coast Salish people believed that showing too many spirit images could weaken their spiritual power. Because of this, fewer pieces were made.

Some people used to think Coast Salish art was not as important as other art forms because it was simple and old. However, experts like Aldona Jonaitis explain that Coast Salish art was perfect for the social needs of its creators. It should be understood for its own meaning and value to the people who made it.

Coast Salish Artists

• Joseph M. Wilson
• Doug LaFortune
• Margaret August
• Dylan Thomas
• lessLIE
• Jody Broomfield
• Aaron Nelson-Moody
• Susan Point
• Luke Marston
• John Marston
• Debra Sparrow
• Bonny Graham [b.wyse]
• Laura Lee-Way-Laq (a Sto:lo/Snuneymuxw artist who creates Indigenous language fonts inspired by Coast Salish designs, and also works in print, painting, and public art)

Gallery

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  Musqueam people with a house post in the background.
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  Musqueam house posts.
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  Salish cloak, from the late 1700s.

Images for kids

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  Squamish leaders in 1903 wearing traditional mountain-goat wool blankets. These blankets show different woven designs and patterns.

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  A Musqueam (xʷməθkʷəy̓əm) elder woman, C’elicia, spinning wool on a spindle-whorl around 1915.

See also

• Coast Salish languages
• Northwest Coast art