The obvious "Split U-shape!"
Have you ever wondered how the unique Northwest Coast Tlingit form line art came to be? Ever wonder where and when it started? Look at the photograph above. The clouds were shaped like a “split U” against the forest. (Any of you who understand the terminology of the form line art will understand it when I say the terms like “ovoid” (the oval shape), “split U” (a shape of a U that has a split down its center), etc.} The split-U shape in this photo was the real thing!–As I have mentioned before, I do not tamper or enhance any of my photographs on my blog.
I have a theory about the origins of the Tlingit art. It is a “natural” theory – meaning: it came naturally through nature, just like the photograph above. My theory is Northwest Coast Native form line art evolved from Nature. The following is a story I made up to support my theory:
“There was a modest pile of split cedar logs near the campfire where he sat. He was relaxing after a full day of fishing. His belly was full of fresh salmon and herring eggs. The wife was putting the kids to sleep and she probably feel asleep too, or else she would have joined him by now. He stoked the fire. Identical colors of the sunset tied rolled in reflecting the same kind of fluid motion as the fire. As if sunset, tide and fire were one. As if the fire were imitating the sea’s sunset. As if the sunset were an act to be imitated! And as if the sea eve cared! – He was delighted and amused with the awesome view and his lazy insights.
His mind rolled with the tide, soft movements of wondering left no place for a thought to truly rest. he put some more wood on the fire. Just as he was about to place another piece into the flames, he noticed the grain of wood. It seemed no different than any other pieces of wood he had handled, he had built many, many campfires, yet for some reason, he was attracted to this one. he placed it on a rock before him. In the firelight, he could see the grain of wood layered as if the waves along the shoreline were intentionally imprinted: “What? ” He thought to himself, “Now the grain of this wood, the fire, the sunset and the ocean are all one?” He laughed. he stoked the fire with his stick. “How come the world has to be in unison, how come it seems everything is related, how come human beings seem to be the aliens? ” he began poking the piece of wood that lay between he and the fire.
With the end of the fire stick, he poked the ashes and doodled mindlessly on the split log...He just followed the grain...naturally...and before he realized, there was this form...hmm... now what does that remind you of?
The tip of the stick followed the grain, leaving a trail of charcoal following the lazy lines that he felt in his mind. he liked the fluid movement. He put the stick into the fire again, gaining more charcoal at the tip, and began darkening other areas, giving contrast to areas he hadn’t ever really noticed before. “Whoa! That’s cool, like, check this out!” he could see where lines widened, where they tapered, where they flowed in a motion around one another. He continued to play with making some areas darker than others as well as leaving some as they natural became, just lines and blobs. Suddenly, there was a cracking sound in the forest behind him. He froze. He waited for a few seconds. He turned slowly towards where the sound came but did not look. He arose slowly, walked a few steps inside his home where he felt safe in his nice warm bed.
In the morning, his children were poking at the embers. He remembered his “journey” from the night before and searched for the piece of wood. He thought he left it where he first set it on the rock between where he sat and the fire pit. Where did it get to? Huh, even the stoking stick was gone! He asked his kids if they had moved the piece of wood from the rock. The replied “What wood?” Confused, they looked about the rock; all they could find were a pair of footprint impressions in the sand, impressions like that of a Raven!”