To the people of Canada's Kwakwaka'wakw nation, a carved mask represents the spiritual world in physical terms. North Vancouver artist Klatle-Bhi, who believes that native culture is important to wider society and that traditional experiences and stories are worth sharing with others, here demonstrates his sculpting/carving technique using both electric and hand tools. After selecting a block of cedar wood, he planes it, cuts the rough shape with an adz, uses a variety of carving knives to provide facial details, then sands, paints, and finishes the piece. Good close-ups chart the progress in converting the initial chunk of wood into the satiny grain of the completed mask. A bonus section includes a lesson on “reading” a totem pole, while looking at several contemporary examples in an outdoor museum. A resource that would be equally valuable in anthropology, art, or how-to collections, this title from the 13-part series The Creative Native is recommended. Other titles include Kwakiutl Northwest Coast Jewelry Carving, Northwest Coast Squamish Cedar Basket Weaving, and Traditional Drum Making, Rattle Making, and Drum Care. Aud: H, C, P. (R. Reagan)
Northwest Coast Mask Carving
(2001) 24 min. VHS: $24.95. Cedar Root Productions (dist. by Magic Lantern Communications). Color cover. Volume 19, Issue 5
Northwest Coast Mask Carving
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