Florence Davidson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Florence Edenshaw Davidson
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| Jadał q'egəngá | |
Florence Davidson weaves a spruce root hat c. 1976.
Photo by Ulli Steltzer |
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| Born | September 15, 1896 |
| Died |
December 13, 1993 (aged 97)
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| Nationality | Haida, Canadian First Nations |
| Known for | Traditional basketry and button-blankets; consultant on Haida language |
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Notable work
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During My Time: Florence Edenshaw Davidson, a Haida Woman |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Davidson (1880–1969); thirteen children. Father, Charles Edenshaw. Daughter, Primrose Adams. Grandsons, Reg Davidson and Robert Davidson |
Florence Edenshaw Davidson (1896–1993) was a Canadian First Nations artist from the Haida. She created basketry and button-blankets and was a respected elder in her village of Masset, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia.
Contents
Early life
Florence Edenshaw was born in Masset on September 15, 1896, the daughter of the Haida artist Charles Edenshaw (Chief Idɨnsaw) and his wife Isabella (K'woiyəng). She was given the Haida name Jadał q'egəngá ("Story Maid"). As a child, she help her mother to sew button blankets.
She was of the Raven moiety, of the Y'akwə'lanas lineage, and of the Shark House (Q'ad Nas), with crests that included Shark, Two-Finned Killerwhale, and Brown Bear.
Personal life
She married Robert Davidson (1880–1969), a Haida, on February 23, 1911, and had 13 children. Her daughter Primrose Adams, also an artist, was the 2011 recipient of the Creative Lifetime Achievement Award for First Nations' Art.
Career
Davidson became renowned for her blankets and for her spruce-root and cedar baskets.
In the 1960s she was consultant on Haida culture and Masset history to the writer Christie Harris, author of Raven's Cry. She was also a major consultant on Haida language to John Enrico.
She became well known through her collaborative autobiography written with the anthropologist Margaret B. Blackman, published in 1982.
Death and legacy
Davidson died December 13, 1993. Her artistic legacy continues with her grandsons, the brother Reg Davidson and Robert Davidson, who are woodcarvers and sculptors.
