Review by Choice Review
Similar to and possibly surpassing Robin K. Wright's outstanding A Time of Gathering (CH, Jun'92, 29-5511) is this collection on Salish art and artists edited by Brotherton, curator of Native American art at the Seattle Art Museum. These valuable, engaging essays by both Native and non-Native contributors focus particularly on the weaving and carving arts and artists of the Coast Salish peoples. Especially valuable are the chapters representing the last work of some key figures in the Coast Salish world. One of these, the chapter that details the teachings of D. Michael CHiXapkaid Pavel's late uncle and important Skokomish elder Gerald Bruce Miller, is particularly thought-provoking for the questions Miller asked about art and its connection to culture and ideas of immortality. A posthumous chapter by Wayne Suttles is also interesting for the challenges it raises to how Northwest Coast art has been conceived and how Coast Salish art fits in. The final chapter by Qwalsius Shaun Peterson is a fitting end as it points toward the future, discussing how the revival of canoe carving and the yearly canoe journeys have been central in Coast Salish cultural resurgence. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. M. Ebert University of Saskatchewan
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
