Aug 3, 2013 | Honoring Others, Showing Off |
Clarissa’s son, Kahlil Lampe Hudson, Skyping on the big screen with Q&A directly after his film “Low and Clear” at the Nickelodean Theatre in Juneau, Alaska
Kahlil’s documentary “Low and Clear” finally screened in Juneau with two showings on Saturday, August 3rd. Kahlil and friend Tyler Hughen, co-directed and co-produced the film which has made its rounds in the film festival circuit around the nation and world, including Amsterdam, Canada and Australia. For a trailer on the film, you may visit his website at: http://www.lowandclear.com/
In the audience, Kahlil’s old-time friend, Jesse Tabor, son of the late Buddy Tabor, and Kahlil’s sister, Lily Hope
The cinematography in this film is exquisite. Sure you can call me biased because I am his mother, but I am making this statement because it is in no doubt, true. If anything, don’t believe me but see for yourself; watch the film for its photography of nature and the sense of no-slap-stick-humor displayed throughout the film.
On my way up a mountain in Haines to pick berries, I ran into friends who told me that Kahlil’s film was filming this evening at the Nickelodean. What? Kahlil didn’t tell his mother? Determined to pick blue berries still, I decided that I would do both: pick berries for a few hours, then get on a plane from Haines to Juneau to see the film this night and return back to Haines the next morning. Seems ridiculous but what how could a mother not see the official screening of her son’s film in their own home town? Hello? I knew that if I didn’t do whatever it took to get on that flight, I would have regret it and I prefer to live my life with as few regrets as possible.
When I first saw the film on big screen with Dan during the film festival in Telluride, Colorado, we sat in the front seat, in total awe. Viewing the film again for the second time in Juneau was just as awesome with additional excitement this time with the anticipation that the audience would be able to communicate with Kahlil via Skype.
In the opening scene and throughout certain places of the film, I thought of my father and mother. Like I said, the cinematography is exquisite and it brought me to tears. I know my parents would have been proud to see the talents of their first-born grandchild’s accomplishment. I had so wished they were alive to see this film on two fishermen and their ways of fishing.
My father was an avid troller fisherman in Alaska. He was a fisherman in the Philippines where he was born but when he moved to Alaska, he started to fish in the Gulf of Alaska near Kodiak. Then in 1955, he headed down to Excursion Inlet/Haines/Hoonah/Juneau area. He fished all of his life. I would love to have seen the expressions on his face and my mother’s face if they saw Kahlil’s film. C’est la vie!
Go ahead and order the film from Kahlil and Tyler’s website, or even check it out on Netflix if you must see it right away. I suggest you watch it on the biggest screen you can so you can absorb the magnificence of the water scenes.
Click here to read the Juneau Empire article introducing the film.
Jul 28, 2013 | Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
The Mt. Fairweather Dancers from Hoonah, Alaska prepare to do their performance in honor of Huna Totem Corporation’s 40th year while shareholder members gather together at the fire pit along the board walk that leads one way to the Cannery Site and the other way to the Resturaunt
Huna Totem Corporation had sent out an RFP to their shareholder artists requesting a design in whatever medium the artist chose to represent their vision statement for the future: “…sailing the canoe of our ancestor’s into the future…” My design of a button robe was commissioned. Click here to the blog entry of the design.
(Note: In this blog entry you won’t be seeing any photographs of other activities during the 40th celebration because I didn’t attend any others due to a time constraint – I was only at the celebration for not quite an hour.)
After the first “coming in” dance, the Mt. Fairweather Dancers turn their backs against the audience to show each dancer’s clan emblem
During that same weekend of July 26, 27 and 28 was in Teslin, Yukon for the weekend demonstrating Chilkat weaving with several of my apprentices during their biennial “Kus Te Yea Celebration 2013”. (click here to read the blog entry on the Celebration event.) Huna Totem implored me to come down to Hoonah on the day of their event, Saturday the 27th, to do the presentation of the robe and explain the design; they wanted me to do this in person so I was plugged into the agenda at 1:30pm. Even though I really didn’t want to leave my students and to leave the Teslin Celebration for a day, I agreed to go to Hoonah (especially since Huna Totem has been good to me, I will do the same for them!)
Young children, Fran Franolovich, Lillian Hillman and Marlene Johnson enjoying the youth of the Mt. Fairweather Dancers
I don’t know what other events happened during the day at Huna’s 40th celebration because I really didn’t have time to partake in the events, so I cannot give you any other information other than tell you about my spectacular drive from Teslin to Skagway and the return flight from Hoonah to Skagway via Juneau and Haines. (Click here to see the blog entry on the return flight from Hoonah to Skagway.)
Huna Totem Board Members and M.C. Kenny Grant are invited to dance with the Mt. Fairweather Dancers
The drive from Teslin to Skagway was 3 hours; absolutely one of the most beautiful drives in the world! (I kept in mind that Yukon time is one hour ahead of Alaska time.) I caught the plane from Skagway to Juneau at 11:45am; it was a 45 minute flight to Juneau; then caught the 12:45pm 20-minute flight to Hoonah arriving a little bit after 1pm and by the time I arrived at the Cannery Point, it was about 1:45 and luckily the program was running a little late, I had just enough time to eat a bag of chips, briefly say hello to Kogo Hugo and meet her mother from Japan, and say hello to Florence Sheakley and check out her beaded earrings, and then it was time to do the presentation. After explaining the design (click here for blog entry on the robe design and explanation), I had about 10 minutes to enjoy the rest of the Mt. Fairweather Dancers’ performance and then I was whisked away and caught the outbound flight to Juneau at 3:30 with board members of the Huna Totem; we arrived in Juneau by 4:00. I had an hour to hang out at the consignment shop “Alaska Dames” before catching the 5:30 flight to Skagway via Haines. The pilot said he just had to take a few extra minutes and do a flight like that since the weather was so perfectly beautiful!
The flight from Juneau to Haines was phenomenal (click here to see the blog entry on that fabulous flight); the pilot took us on a scenic flight of the local glaciers in the Juneau area: the Mendenhall, Peterson and Eagle; he flew over Berner’s Bay, then across Lynn Canal up towards the mouth of the Chilkat River just south of Haines – then we flew UP the Davidson Glacier, flew around the back side of the front range of the Chilkats and then DOWN Rainbow Glacier, passed Paradise Cover (where I once had land), over Pyramid Island and then landed at the Haines airport – Holy what a flight!!!
When we flew up Davidson I cried I was so happy I unbuckled my seat belt and looked out both sides of the plane’s window; I just love this land, I love the Chilkat range, I love the Chilkat river; I so be-long here! I swear that when I die, I want my ashes spread up and down these Chilkat glaciers and at the mouth of the Chilkat River and at Paradise Cove!
By the time I arrived in Skagway, it was 7pm (that’s 8pm Yukon time). I could have spent the night in Skagway, but I just wanted to make the drive back to Teslin and wake up to another day of demonstrating in our little “weavers’ cabin” on Teslin Lake for the last day of Teslin’s “Kus Te Yea.” I got detained at the Yukon Alaska border because I got into a half-hour conversation with the border guard about politics, art, cultural integration, etc. It was already 9:30 by the time I left the border and I was getting tired. I had to pull over a couple of times to rest; I was avoiding falling asleep at the wheel. The weather was beautiful the entire day; the night was just as astounding. At this time of year, the sky does not get totally dark, so there are no stars to see, though the natural evening midnight sun light was gorgeous; everything looked “rosie.” I passed 3 cars during the entire drive from Skagway to Teslin, arriving at midnight. And there were never any cars behind me. I suppose I was the only car heading North from Skagway for those particular hours. It was eerie. I don’t think I will do that drive by myself again!
Mentor and Dance Instructor Billy Wilson rests while he watches his “children” do the songs and dances
This particular Raven Dancer knows how to strut!
The pride and unity of the Mt. Fairweather Dancers!
During my brief visit to this event in Hoonah, I looked about me at all the folks who came out to help celebrate Huna Totem’s 40th year – everyone looked so familiar even though many of the people I did not recognize. I looked about and realized that the elders that I was used to seeing were no longer; I realized that the folks who were just 10 to 20 years older than me were really not that much older than me! whoa! I am becoming one of those elders! Holy moly!
After spending an entire month with the in-land Tlingit in Yukon where there is no ocean, no ocean smell, not as much moisture in the air, I truly felt like I fit in with those people, yet, coming down to Hoonah even for an hour, I felt a true kinship with the land here too, of course with its people – my clan the T’akDeinTaan are originally from here – we were branched down from the Coho from the Alsek River in the Yakutat area – I have to remember that I am a “coastal Native” (as the in-land Tlingit define us).
M.C. Kenny Grant reads the real copy of Clarissa’s latest brochure. He was going to read from a xerox copy of the brochure that someone handed to him so he could introduce Clarissa properly when she presents the button robe she was commissioned to create in honor of Huna Totem’s 40th year; when Clarissa saw that his was a copy and not the real thing, she presented him with his own very real brochure! Kenny’s immediate response: “Hey,…this is MUCH BETTER! Now I can actually READ it!”
I would post a photo of myself presenting the Button robe that I recently completed for Huna Totem’s 40th, but I didn’t take a photo of me explaining the design to the celebration audience. I will post one as soon as someone emails or texts me a photo image of it! In the meantime, click here to see the design and creation of the button robe BEFORE delivering the completed robe to Huna Totem.
Gunal’cheesh Hoho! Thank you very much for visiting my blog and reading this entry!
Jul 23, 2013 | Honoring Others, Ravens & Eagles |
Anna Beaver’s ashes in a box covered by a cloth embellished with a small beaded “T’naa” by Anna when she was a child
The first time I met Anna Beaver was during a portrait documentary project that her daughter Donna Beaver Pizzarelli and I were photographing during Celebration 2004 in Juneau. A gracious, generous, thoughtful woman who not only brought us food during our crazy three days of photographing dancers in their regalia all the while we forgetting to eat, but also she beadworked name tags for the four of us who were collaborating together on this project: Liana Wallace Young, Rhonda Mann, Donna and myself. Since then, I hadn’t seen her much except now and then when we would run into one another at an art fair selling our wares.
Beadwork and doll-maker, Anna Beaver – photo by Donna Beaver Pizzarelli
Hand-made dolls by Anna Beaver – photo by Donna Beaver Pizzarelli
Clarissa, Anna Beaver and Rhonda – Auke Bay 2005 – photo by Donna Beaver Pizzarelli
We took a small catamaran to the back side of Douglas Island, a place called “Hilda Creek” where Anna and her family would harvest foods from the land and sea
The last time I saw Anna Beaver was just three weeks before she passed away on Sunday, July 14th. Rhonda and I had heard she was not doing well and I was scheduled to jump a ferry to Skagway to head up to Whitehorse the next day so we thought we better get a visit in. Rhonda, Donna and Donna’s sister, Delores Weathers and I sat around for at least two hours at Anna’s bedside telling young women dumb stories gossiping about ourselves…we shared, teased and we laughed until we cried. Anna could hardly get a word in edgewise, though she was very happy.
family members and relatives gathered inside
Anna seemed like she could go either way; she could get better or she could be “letting go.” This time she “let go.” Upon hearing her passing, I was in my room in Whitehorse preparing to teach a few more tricks-of-the-trade to my students; I had to sit still and gaze out the window. In one day two of my friends’ mothers passed away this same day just within four hours of one another. All time stood still for those moments as I remembered too my own mother, Irene Loling Sarabia Lampe. Our mothers are special people. We miss our mothers. Till the day we pass, not a day goes by without thinking of them and every now and then we can “feel” their presence. It’s a fine day.
Anna Beaver’s children L to R: Delores, Debbie, Darlene, Donna and Darren
Click here to read Anna Beaver’s obituary in the Juneau Empire . Anna was the daughter of Amos Wallace, T’akDeinTaan Clan originally from Hoonah, Alaska who was a famous totem pole carver and silversmith (amongst many other talents). Click here to read Amos’ obituary in the Juneau Empire
Rhonda, Clarissa and Donna
Tom Jimmie, Jr. sang a Kaagwaantaan song
Anna’s sister holds a bouquet of a dozen white roses
A plate of some of Anna’s favorite foods were “sent” with her ashes – this is a tradition of many tribes throughout Southeast Alaska – we believe we keep alive the spirit of the departed one by “feeding” them. We want to let them know we will remember them. They “assist” us from their place as we acknowledge and continue to appreciate them from here.
Hilda Creek in the background, Anna’s ashes, bouquets, food and lost of love were spread into the ocean
White roses accompany the ashes of Anna Beaver – photo by Donna Beaver Pizzarelli
Appropriately, the opposite clan the T’akDeinTaan, Anna’s father’s clan song was sung by Irene Jean Lampe accompanied by Tom Jimmie (T.J.), Jr.
- Donna Beaver Pizzarelli’s (yellow pants) and friends, Rhonda Mann (blue pants) and Clarissa Rizal (red jacket)
Donna and her husband, Al Pizzarelli
Jul 15, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Honoring Others |
Teahonna James weaves under the white “artists” tent at the Atlin Music Festival July 12, 13, & 14, 2013
I thank Louise Gordon who invited us to come to Atlin; she asked us to set up our looms under one of their art demo/class tents. I had heard of this festival since it’s inception over 20 years ago; I heard the excellent music by excellent musicians and the art and food, in a land of rare beauty. We were fortunate to experience all these things. I had wished I made my way to this heaven earlier. Though now I have walked this land and breathed it’s air and soaked up its light, I have a bit of Atlin in me and I know I can and shall return.
Crystal and Vanessa weave on their child-size Chilkat robes demonstrating during the Atlin Music Festival 2013 in Atlin, British Columbia, Canada
We have been in Whitehorse for almost 4 weeks; the first week we attended the Adaka Festival and we attended a Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving class was taught by Ann Smith and Clarissa Rizal. Please visit the blog entry about the class (click here) and the Adaka Festival (click here). At the Adaka opening ceremonial event, we created the “Weavers’ Dance” (click here) to honor the woven robes in both Ravenstail and Chilkat.
A better view of Vanessa weaving her child-size Chilkat robe
Find out more about the Atlin Music Festival in Atlin, British Columbia, Canada, please visit their website at: http://www.atlinfestival.ca/
Campers, camper vans, RVs of all sizes, from a variety of states and provinces, congregate in this big open field near downtown Atlin.
I have to admit, surprisingly I felt kind of out of place in Atlin. Though it reminds me of old Juneau in ways and definitely familiar mountains, lakes, and trees, the place seems like an old Hippie-ville – a place where old hippies reside and where young hippies who are not quite retired go to visit and wish they could live there but cannot afford it because lack of “normal 9 to 5 income. Does this mean that I don’t see myself as a hippie? Yes.
I cannot say I’ve ever seen anything like this house except maybe the Egyptian Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. Like where else are we gonna find a pyramid house? A hippie house.
A portion of the near-waterfront is designated for tent campers – of course there are young folk; some brought their dogs.
A lemonade stands on the hill above the lakeside performance tent catering to thirsty passer-byes in the warm weather.
Hawksley Workman (wearing the hat) performed several times during the Atlin Music Festival – he was my favorite act because the way I see it, he naturally moves from his heart and I could see this by the way he naturally stood with his chest “leading” out from his body as his voice reached up and out powerfully to the mountains and back. Fun, superb performer.
In a dirt parking lot on the side of the road, I saw a crowd of about 20 huddled around a table – I stopped in my tracks and wondered what was going on. One of my most favorite surprises was to run into Michelle Genest and her husband Hector. I had first met Michelle not just a month prior on the ferry from Juneau to Skagway; she was intrigued with the Chilkat weaving. She had introduced herself as a writer and cook; little did I know that she was a fantastic writer and just as well, cook!
Chef Extraordinaire and writer Michelle Genest flips a few more sourdough pancakes cooked with high-bush cranberries while festival goers taste her cuisine
Michelle served us up with these made-from-scratch high-bush cranberry pancakes topped with spruce tip syrup — absolutely fabulous first thing in the morning breathing fresh, crisp air. Clean fresh air makes all the difference in the way food tastes; people don’t know this unless they experience clean fresh air like Atlin.
I bought her latest book “The Borealis Gourmet” Adventures in Northern Cooking featuring Yukon’s indigenous, flavorful boreal ingredients. She and Hector were on their “tour” of Yukon wild-harvesting fruits, saps, herbs and veggies – setting up their elegant camp kitchen that they tuck back into their little silver sporty-looking Honda (or was it a Toyota?)
Notice my new red Bogs bought from Shoefly store in Juneau: the latest in technological footwear makes me feel like I am wearing a pair of very warm, waterproof moccasins – I bought them specifically for being outdoors on beaches collecting seaweed for garden mulch, or picking the nagoon berry fields, or running a wet, smooth firm beach, or jumping puddles! Note: I did not say that I would use them on cement in the city.
Two of my favorite books: “The Borealis Gourmet” by Michelle Genest and a great companion to this Northern cookbook, “The Borealis Herbal” – Wild food and medicinal plants of the North by Beverly Gray
For those of you who are harvesters of wild foods and herbs in Yukon and Alaska, and you like to cook, these are the two books for you! Now that I am no longer tied down with the schedules of child-rearing with the school system time-frame, I can run around in the mountains, bogs, woods and the beach harvesting food! It’s fabulous. Being on the land and sea harvesting one’s food, getting fresh air and exercise is a very grounded spiritual existence. It is what indigenous people always refer to as “our way of life.”
Jul 1, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Honoring Others, North Tide |
Yukon festivities would not be complete without comedians Grandma Suzi and her boyfriend Cache Creek Charlie, aka Sharon Shorty and Duane Aucoin from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Crystal and I stumbled across Yukon’s Adaka Festival last year when we took a three-day jaunt to Whitehorse. We were so pleasantly and enthusiastically surprised by all the festivities at the event that we made it a point to attend for the entire week this year, though with the intention that we would bring other Chilkat and Ravenstail weavers with us – and that we did!
Entrance to the Kwaanlin Dun Cultural Center on the banks of the mighty headwaters of the Yukon River in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
This festival was held June 21 through June 27, 2013. The Adaka Festival is kind of like the Alaska Folk Festival in that it runs for a week, it is entirely free, it consists of talented performers, teachers, artists, supporters, volunteers and administrators all coming together to pull off this huge event! Though one of the main differences is that the artists, performers and teachers are all First Nations people mainly from Yukon, some from British Columbia, elsewhere in Canada, and a couple of ’em from Alaska (I being one of the two.)
Yukon Jack (and his band) are a long-time favorite of Yukonians – they played some of my most favorite spaghetti westerns, ballads and western rock-n-roll !
The performers are all First Nation professionals working in contemporary and traditional genres including rock n-roll bands, traditional song and dance, fiddlers, rap singers, soloists and R&B, just to name a few.
There were daily workshops including but not limited to, drum-making, carving a paddle, Chilkat and Ravenstail weaving, skin-sewing, beadworking, mocassin-making, and singer-song writing.
Check out Adaka’s website for more information and lots of pictures.
Female members of the local Native dance group, Dahka Kwaan, led by Marilyn Jensen originally from Carcross, Y.T.
I am amazed at the amount of talent that is up in this Northern part of the continent, and that there is even a Native event like this. Do we have a Native event that comes close to this in Alaska? I don’t know. Maybe the Native Arts Festival held in Anchorage and the one held in Fairbanks – but are those still happening? (Sorry folks, we cannot compare this event to the Alaska Federation of Natives – that’s like comparing apples to oranges…!)
William Wasden, a traditional singer and composer from Alert Bay, B.C., graced the audience with his booming voice and strong presence.
This event is unique, that’s all there is to it. I wouldn’t travel all the way from Alaska (or even Colorado for that matter), to attend this event on an annual basis, but folks, that’s what I intend to do. And someday when my grandkids are old enough, I’m taking them with me.
Joe Migwans instructs his students on how to glue the two ends of the hoop together
Using clamps to secure the glued seams…!
Much like Celebration and the Alaska Folk Festival, this event is like a big family reunion where friends, relatives and fellow artists and musicians come together annually and have a great time just being together!
Copper smith Brian Walker, weaver Ann Smith, Carver/silversmith Wayne Price and multi-media artist/weaver Clarissa Rizal pose for a “one-of-these-days-this-photo-will-be-famous” shot.
Come on out to the Adaka Festival next year always starting on June 21st; there is quite the mixture of old and new, young and old, rough and tough, and all that stuff! Mark it on your calendar for a time when the sun doesn’t set and nor do its people!
Jun 24, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Honoring Others, Showing Off, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Ravenstail robe “Grandmother’s Time” woven by Ann Smith, Whitehorse, Yukon danced by her son Shawn Smith, and a Chilkat robe “Diving Whale Lovebirds” woven by Clarissa Rizal, Juneau, Alaska, danced by fellow artist Wayne Price. They were both “hired” to dance the robes with the “Weavers’ Dance” on Sunday, June 23rd during the Adaka Festival main stage.
Ann Smith carefully adjusts her son Shawn Smith’s collar of “Grandmother’s Time” Ravenstail robe
A couple days before the “coming out” of four woven robes that were in the Adaka Art Exhibit, Crystal Rogers and I were in the Elder’s room (where the weaving class was held during the Adaka Festival); I was playing with the warp stick using it like a walking cane pretending i was an old old elder – then I began to dance with it like a man holding a dance staff and wouldn’t it be fun if all of us weavers had one of these and danced with it like this – suddenly Crystal excitedly exclaimed: “…no, let’s hold it like a woman, soft and demure as if we are holding a precious item in our hand…” – we were so dead set on doing this during the “coming in” dance of the woven robes that we asked Ann Smith if her son could make enough warp sticks for all the weavers…and so was born the use of the warp sticks during the “coming out” dance of the woven robes…!
Clarissa adjusts the closure of Crystal Rogers’ “Eagle Raven” button blanket (a collaboration of two artists: design by Preston Singletary, hand-sewn by Clarissa Rizal
“Grandmother’s Time”, “Copper Child” (collaboration Lily Hope and Clarissa Rizal) and “Eagle Raven”
Front views of all three…
The following photos are of Whitehorse’s weaving class members dancing the “weavers’ dance…”
Ravenstail and Chilkat weavers with their “warp sticks” – a hand-made wooden stick with notches to measure the warp yarns for a dance robe or dance apron – these sticks were fashioned after the late Jennie Thlunaut’s warp stick
Thank you very much, Everett Smith, for crafting an additional 10 wooden warp sticks with short notice of two days so we may dance the “weavers’ dance!”
While the narrator introduces the next song, the dancers keep their backs to the audience waiting for the next dance song to begin
The “Raven” robe on the right is also designed by Preston Singeltary and sewn by Clarissa Rizal
Clarissa’s “Diving Whale Lovebirds” Chilkat robe danced by Wayne Price is dead center stage…
“Diving Whale Lovebirds” Chilkat robe and 4-piece Ravenstail ensemble “Copper Child”
“Weavers’ Dance” with our warp sticks made by Ann Smith’s son, Everett Smith – there were 13 of us – lucky number….!
“Weavers’ Dance”…
Wayne Price in Chilkat robe, Tristin Primozic in 4-piece Ravenstail ensemble, and Shawn Smith in Ravenstail robe
Tristin Primozic of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations is a member of the Wolf moeity and he is a young song leader in training with the Dahka Khwaan Juniors Dance Group. He is wearing “Copper Child”, the 4-piece Ravenstail ensemble woven by Lily Hope and Clarissa Rizal.
After the Weavers’ Dance, outside in front of the cultural center for a photo shoot for the local newspaper
Backside of dancers with robes…the fourth robe on the far left was woven by Ann Smith, danced by Ravenstail and Chilkat weaver Charlene Baker
And thank you to all our models for dancing our robes for us: Charlene Baker, Tristin Primozic, Shawn Smith and Wayne Price
Four robes – Two Ravenstail robes woven by Ann Smith; Chilkat robe woven by Clarissa Rizal, and child-size 4-piece child-size Ravenstail ensemble woven by Lily Hope and Clarissa
Owners of the new robe, Ken and Lauren Kaushansky with dancer Wayne Price and weaver, Clarissa Rizal
Jun 14, 2013 | Honoring Others, Latest Art Projects, Ravens & Eagles, Tlingit Culture Accentuated |
Clarissa finalizes her button blanket design for the Huna Totem’s celebration of their 40th anniversary
Back in February, I was given a week deadline in a competition to draft up a design that reflected one of Southeast Alaska’s Native Corporation’s 40th anniversary vision statement: “…sailing the canoe of our ancestor’s into the future…” I don’t know if I have ever been successful at drafting up a winning design in that short amount of time, but somehow the image came very easily to me and within a day I had the proposal and design done – that’s unheard of in my experiences.
“Stitch witchery” iron-on interfacing assists in applying the cut applique to the robe body – however, this stitch witchery must have been old because the fusion to the wool fabric did not work – alas, I had to hand-baste the design down before sewing it.
The robe was presented during the Huna 40th celebration at the Cannery Point in Hoonah, Alaska on Saturday, July 27th. Click here for the blog entry.
The unfinished robe; still needs the face in the Copper T’naa, the teeth on the shark and the “mountains”
The name of this robe is based on Huna Totem’s request: “…sailing the canoe of our Grandfathers into the future…” The Design explanation is as follows:
…there are four clans in Hoonah whose crests are depicted on the canoe L to R: The Chookaneidi clan’s octopus crest, the WooshkeeTaan clan’s Shark crest, the Kaagwaantaan clan’s wolf crest and the T’akDeinTaan clan’s black-legged kitty-wake crest. In the canoe are the Raven and the Eagle moieties each holding the Copper T’naa which represents the history, culture, wealth and arts. The Eagle and Raven moeities each share in the responsibility of carrying our culture in the canoe of our Grandfathers’ into the future…”
What the robe looks like when it is on a body! – by the way, my model’s name is Dan Shanks
The cool thing about this commemorative 40th-year robe is that it can be worn in ceremony by any one from the four main clans from Hoonah, AND it can be hung on the corporate walls of Huna Totem…I really like the idea of its versatility.
After laying out the buttons under my direction, Lis begins to glue down the “Mt. Fairweather range”… which completes the robe
I never got a professional shot of the completed robe, not even a snap shot of the robe – so I cannot show you the entire robe until somebody sends me a photograph! Quick! – If you happened to be at the 40th anniversary celebration event in Hoonah and you have got a photograph of me doing the presentation, go for it and email me an image – and of course, I may want to use it in this blog entry and of course, I will give you photo credit! Thank you!
Jun 11, 2013 | Acting Out and Musical Chairs, Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Honoring Others, Showing Off |
Though they’ve have known one another for over 35 years, Clarissa and Lis have never played music together until this evening at the “Open Mike” sponsored by Pagosa Brewing Company owned by friend Tony Simmons – David Chambers is on the congas – photos by Dan Shanks
Our sons have been friends since they were two years old; mothers and sons met at the co-op preschool in Juneau, Alaska. Lis has been a celtic musician her entire adult life and has produced many concerts bringing Irish music to Juneau. I used to play music in my early adult life until I began having children; the house was too small to practice and play because it would wake up the kids; it wasn’t until after my kids grew up and I divorced that I finally had the time to play again; I took up the ukelele!
Lis on guitar, accompanied Clarissa on ukelele, played 3 songs: a traditional Tlingit song, a Northern rendition of “Jeremy Row the Boat Ashore” and Clarissa’s first song she wrote over a year ago “Shifting Shanks”
Lis came down from Alaska and spent three weeks helping me get certain deadlines done before I returned to Alaska for the Summer. The two of us worked, worked, worked the entire three weeks – While I was finishing a Chilkat robe with the same deadline as all of the work, Lis helped me dye weft yarns, cook bark, split bark, wash warp to make my weaving kits for a class; she helped lay buttons and sew them down on two button robes; she helped weed and water the garden. It was wonderful to have full-time help with the things I would normally do if I didn’t have the time crunch of “getting outa Dodge” on time!—I’ve always said that women need a wife; a woman like myself definitely needs one full time all the time. When I make enough steady money (hahaha!), I will have a steady wife! — Playing this open mike together was about the only “free time” thing that Lis and I had time for! Lucky us!
Two friends of mine who had never met until this evening: Lis Saya and John Tarbet enjoy the last act of the evening.
Celtic guitarist Lis Saya, accordian and saxaphone player John Tarbet, ukelele-ist Clarissa Rizal and guitarist Dan Shanks watched all the acts to the very end at the Open Mike; that’s why they are acting like this…!
May 27, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Honoring Others, Showing Off |
Clarissa sits next to her portrait by photographer/artist Rosalie Favell
During Indian Market 2012 in Santa Fe last year August, Rosalie Favell photographed many of the artists, including myself. Initially of course, when asked to participate, my automatic response is to hesitate and I begin to ask myself questions, but with a little bit of encouragement and because Rosalie is a Metis from Canada, I figured why not?
At the show opening last Friday in Santa Fe at the Insitute of American Indian Arts Museum, I recognized a few portraits of fellow artists and classmates or instructors at the Institute of American Indian Arts; to name just a few they included Jeff Kahm, Stephen Wall, Linda Lomahaftewa, Daryl Lucero, and Crystal Worl. The odd thing about these portraits that I realized soon after viewing the entire show was that outside of them being in B&W and the same format, upon first glance, I did not immediately recognize these people, even my own portrait. I found this very odd; like, okay what’s going on?
One of several groups of portraits taken by Rosalie Favell in her recent exhibit “Facing the Camera” – a growing suite of photographic portraiture that documents individuals from a growing indigenous arts community – IAIA Museum, Santa Fe, New Mexico – May 24, 2013
Rosalie Favell is a photo-based artist born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba whose significant work has received international recognition for her mapping of self and community within a global society. Through these images, Favell sees the photograph as a performance space, where identity is constantly worked and reworked, represented, and perhaps hidden. —- hmmmm….”hidden” maybe be the key word here – maybe it is why I initially did not recognize myself and the others – maybe I saw the “hidden” part of our personalities…eh?
May 25, 2013 | Adventures of Rear-Mirror Rissy, Honoring Others |
Clarissa Rizal with artist friend Cecil Touchon at NuArt Gallery on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico
I include Cecil Touchon in my blog posts on occasion because this is the guy that influenced me to get into painting and collage-making back in the late 90s. Here we stand before a two-piece painting he recently completed for his show opening May 24th in Santa Fe at the NuArt Gallery. The colors in this set jumped out at me bopping me on the head to paint my own rendition! Of course, it will not be anything like Cecil’s but, like most of the things that I “copy”, I do my own interpretation.
At the beginning of this year, I told myself this is the year for anything to do with Chilkat weaving; which by the way, is truly happening – let’s be careful what we ask for – however, I think next year it will be the year of painting, and I want to include my interpretation of Cecil’s painting above. Thank you for being a great inspiration and friend, Cecil Touchon!
