Canadian Artists from World War II to the Present: A Survey  
     
     
 
Introduction :: Pre-Contact Traditions :: Post-Contact First Nations Art: An Overview :: Arctic/Inuit Traditional Arts :: Arctic/Inuit Modern and Contemporary Arts :: Plains :: West Coast :: Eastern Woodlands :: Other Selected Contemporary First Nations Artists :: Additional Resources for First Nations Artists in Canada :: HOME
  
     
   
  Pre-Contact Traditions  
     
  Paintings on rocks were frequently produced by First Nations peoples. Indeed, petroglyphs are found all across Canada—even, to a limited extent, in the Arctic. Petroglyphs depict the animal and spiritual world, and their precise purpose is hard today to discern—although it is likely significant that they are frequently located in areas associated with sacredness and spirituality.







Other forms of art are more specific to particular regions. In geographical areas where aboriginal populations had to travel to survive (e.g., the Arctic) art objects were invariably small and portable, and made of bone, wood, and stone. The peoples in the Arctic also produced Inukshuks, which are large stone markers thought to be erected in order to help navigate through an otherwise featureless landscape. The literal meaning of the word is, apparently, "stone man that points the way." It is also speculated that the Inukshuks were erected for hunting purposes, and may have, by means not now understood, helped guide game towards the hunters, and may have therefore had sacred properties. Today Inukshuks are widely reproduced as corporate and personal gifts.



In southern territories, such as the Eastern Woodlands, aboriginal populations lived in agriculturally based villages. The art objects these peoples produced were sometimes large and semi-permanent, e.g., carvings and masks and life-size sculptures associated with secret societies. And on the West Coast, where the temperate climate and rich natural resources enabled First Nations peoples to establish permanent settlements and to have abundant wealth and a strongly hierarchical society, art objects were astonishingly abundant. Everything from feast spoons to totem poles were carved with close attention to high artistic quality. Specialist carvers and painters gained high respect in their cultures. Architecture on the West Coast also became elaborately developed.







On the great plains, medicine wheels were also produced by many native cultures, and approximately 170 still may be found in the plains. They have a complex symbolism and were likely used for astronomical and spiritual purposes.

  
     
     
 
Introduction :: Pre-Contact Traditions :: Post-Contact First Nations Art: An Overview :: Arctic/Inuit Traditional Arts :: Arctic/Inuit Modern and Contemporary Arts :: Plains :: West Coast :: Eastern Woodlands :: Other Selected Contemporary First Nations Artists :: Additional Resources for First Nations Artists in Canada :: HOME