96 pp, small 4to (10 1/8" H). Wonderful colour illustrations and decoration throughout. "Just as we have four grandparents, and our lives come from their lives, so we might describe fire, earth, water, and air as our 'Four Ancestors'. From the giant who pulled the sun across the sky to the mighty elk who created the earth, from the greedy monster who kept the rivers from flowing to the bird whose wings made the wind, this collection offers tales from more than twenty Native North American cultures. Joseph Bruchac's masterful storytelling combines with evocative illustrations by four Native Am... View More...
200 pp, 11 1/4" H. Profusely illustrated in colour and b&w. "(P)rovides a glimpse into the vast collections of the museum and tells the stories of their origin and acquisition. From 1954 to 1966, Glenbow was the pride of Eric L. Harvie, Calgary philanthropist. During those years, he brought priceless objects from all parts of the world, while his staff concentrated on collecting western Canadian artifacts. Since then, Glenbow has added significantly to its collections and has gained international acclaim for its exhibitions and museum programs." Very minor wrinkling at top of spine. Dus... View More...
192 pp, 4to (11 1/4" H). Profusely illustrated with b&w and colour photographs and drawings. "Among the Mande-speaking groups dispersed throughout much of West Africa, certain artists - including potters and leatherworkers - form a spiritually powerful social class in which gender determines craft specialization. Ceramic water jars and cooking pots are made only by the wives and female relatives of blacksmiths. Leather objects such as knife sheaths, amulet cases, and, more recently, western-style shoes and bags are produced by male leatherworkers. While these objects display features common t... View More...
267 pp, oblong large 8vo (9 3/8" H x 10 5/16" D). Profusely illustrated with b&w and colour reproductions. Bilingual text (English/French). "The 155 prints reproduced in this widely acclaimed catalogue, 12 of them in full colour, constitute a retrospective survey of the first twenty years of Inuit printmaking in the Canadian Arctic. Selected for exhibition internationally, the prints provide exciting insights into the traditions and beliefs of a unique group of artists. Five widely scattered communities are represented - Cape Dorset (where James Houston introduced the Inuit to this form of exp... View More...
128 pp, 10 1/4" H. Colour and b&w photographs, drawings. "In Ojibway tradition, mothers and grandmothers netted tiny circular cobweb-like charms from willow and sinew. These delicate charms were not meant to last but were intended to protect newborn children from 'everything evil, just as a spider's web catches and holds everything that comes in contact with it'. The beauty of dreamcatchers is reflected in their symmetry and natural accents. For generations, they have been crafted by making a hoop out of fresh wood, and then weaving a web inside the circle of deer sinew or colored thread. ... View More...
134 pp, oblong large 8vo (9 1/4" H x 11 15/16" D). Profusely illustrated with colour reproductions of the artist's work and b&w photographs. "(C)elebrates the distinctive talent of the Canadian painter Allen Sapp, a Cree from Saskatchewan, and his relationship with Dr. Allan Gonor, mentor and friend. Sapp specializes in paintings depicting native life as he remembers it on the Red Pheasant Reserve near North Battleford, with subjects ranging from social activities and farming chores to full-dress ceremon-ies. These remarkable examples of Canadian art might never have existed were it not fo... View More...
48 pp, 11" H. "An epic retelling in poetic form of the creation myth of the Mississaugas. The author of the poem, W. Gordon Mills, was a businessman with the T. Eaton Company in Toronto in 1923 when he wrote the poem. He was later to serve as Deputy Minister of National Defence for Naval Services in the Second World War. In recognition of his wartime work he was named a Companion of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG). The poem is illustrated by eleven paintings, specially commissioned for this publication. The paintings are the work of Saul Mamakeesick, a young Cree/Ojibway art... View More...
174 pp, 10 3/4" H. B&w photographs, colour and b&w reproductions. "Throughout (this book) Daphne Odjig's story has been told by herself as related through R.M. Vanderburgh and M.E. Southcott. As a product of an oral tradition that was still flourishing during her childhood in the village of Wikwemikong on Manitoulin Island in Georgian Bay, Daphne became a superb storyteller, in the tradition of her elders. It is this inheritance that she has built on as she told her stories to her two collaborators. Odjig's skills as a storyteller are reflected in the impressionistic introductions to many... View More...
87 pp, 11" H. Profusely illustrated with colour and b&w photographs, maps. The catalogue of the exhibition. "(F)eatures twenty-three pieces by this master sculptor, widely celebrated for his ability to tell us deep histories in new ways. His massive, intricately carved narratives speak not only of Inuit prehistory and settlement but of Viking legends and forays into the New World. The results are astounding, not just in terms of their great beauty and craftsmanship, but also the dialogues they present about ancient and living northern cultures." from the Preface. Interior - clean and tight... View More...
220 + XVII pp, 9 3/4" H. Colour and b&w reproductions, photographs. Signed on title page: "James R. Stevens". Chapter headings: Chief Antoine Morrisseau tells The Legend of Nani-Bou-Sha and The Flood. Norval's inherited surname; Sand Point, East Shore, Lake Nipigon. Theresa Grace Nonokongis, Lawrence Obrey and Abel Morrisseau; St. Joseph's Boarding School, Norval and Ronald Morrisseau in Fort William, Ontario; Beardmore, Ontario - The Greenbelt Zone; The Brilliant Emergence & Withdrawal; The O.A.C. artist, Susan A. Ross, Norval's Mentor; The young gallery owner, Jack Pollock - dealing with N... View More...
176 pp, oblong 8vo (8 1/2" H x 11" D). Profusely illustrated with b&w and colour photographs, maps. Some additional text in Inuktitut. "The ancient art of Inuit dollmaking is disappearing slowly but surely. The real Inuit play dolls have already come to an end and today, the only dolls that remain are collectors' dolls made by Inuit dollmakers for the southern retail market. We have put this book together, most particularly for the Inuit growing up today, in order to preserve an important part of their cultural heritage." Interior - gift inscrption on first page, otherwise clean and tight wi... View More...
500 pp, 9 1/4" H. B&w illustrations. "(A) remarkable look at the development of Canadian art, from the first appearance of Native crafts through to Booker Prize winners such as Margaret Atwood and Yann Martel. In tracing the history of Canada's cultural roots, Jonathan Vance also tells the story of Canadian identity." Chapter headings: The First Artists; The Meeting and Mingling of Cultures; Colonial Societies; Common Showmen and Mountebanks; Culture on the Frontier; The Dream of Useful Knowledge; 'Streaks on the Horizon'; Importing Culture; Exporting Culture; The First World War; The New Par... View More...
