Western Arctic Women Artists: An Ethnographic Study of the Historic Influences on the Artistic Education and Production of Women from Three Co-existing Cultures

Indigenous women in the Western Arctic have produced artwork for hundreds of years as their contribution to their family’s survival. With the arrival of the European explorers and whalers new materials, techniques and incentives were introduced. Women of all three cultural groups now produce various types of artwork: the Inuvialuit (Eskimo), the Dene (Indian), and non­ native or Euro-Oanadian. These cultures, along with Metis now co-exist in most Western Arctic communities, and have expressed the need to understand and cooperate with each other more fully to ensure the survival of the arts in the education of future generations. The arts of all three heritage groups appear to have influenced each other as they developed in the Western Arctic Region over the last hundred years. Influences include historical education and church practices, changes in society and traditional ways of life, politics and government, various economic pressures including the decline of the fur industry, the rise and fall of the oil and gas industry, and the harshness of the Arctic landscape and climate. The traditional women's artwork of all three cultures is interwoven with new materials and techniques, and must be -understood within its historical context. In the past, the production of artifacts was gender related. Women’s art forms were different from those created by men, and were usually unsigned. Most women in pre-industrial societies created articles to be used by their families such as clothing, footwear, utensils, or items of household decoration. Now in a development parallel to the Arts and Crafts Movement in Europe and America, many women living in the Western Arctic also produce artwork for sale. They produce a variety of art forms that are widely acclaimed for their aesthetic value. These include Moose and Oaribou-hair tufting, embroidery, beadwork, fur inlay, printmaking, painting, Delta-Braid, fur clothing, porcupine quillwork, birchbark baskets, stained glass, pottery, quilting, fashion design, and mixed media. The Western Arctic is worthy of study because each cultural group has developed unique ways of using new McNeal: Western Arctic Women Artists http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol13/iss1/27 materials and techniques to reflect their collective cultural heritage, yet the influence of the other groups is observable. Through interviews with more than fifty women who are artists, teachers, and or arts organizers, the stories of the women’s artistic lives will be pieced together to show the evolving forms of Western Arctic art production. There is much to be learned from the elder women themselves about past and present practices. How the lives of producing women artists have been affected by the fabric of these interwoven cultures is part of the study of art history and aesthetics. How the women talk about their art and education is part of the study of art history, criticism, and production. Through videotape and audiotaped interviews, the voices of the women themselves will be heard as they critically discuss their art and its value in their lives, as well as historical aspects such as how they learned their skills. These tapes are the raw data around which this dissertation is being written. Statement of the Problem Three cultures co-exist in the Western Arctic, in varying percentages in each community. In the MacKenzie Delta region (Inuvik, Aklavik, Fort McPherson, Arctic Red River, Tuktoyaktuk, Paulatuk, and Holman), the three cultures are fairly equal in numbers, and there is striking evidence of a mutual influence in the artwork of today’s women. There is also evidence of a similarity among the cultural groups in the way women’s art relates to their lives. However, we know little about the women themselves, or how they value their aesthetic contributions and artistic skills. We may still be able to leam from elders about old ways that pre-date the arrival of European influence The indigenous peoples are struggling to maintain or revive their cultural identity, but the variety of artistic contributions to the cultural fabric of the entire region is rarely acknowledged. As land claims are settled, and new political structures emerge, affecting all sectors, this time of drastic change creates an urgent need for the cultures to understand each other. Each group has contributed an artistic, cultural, and educational heritage that is interwoven with others. All groups have expressed the need for increased knowledge and understanding of these complex interrelationships as important to future cooperation and survival. Rationale and Statement of Purpose The artwork produced by the women of the Western Arctic cannot be understood outside this context. Hence it is necessary to study the Marilyn Zurmuehlen Working Papers in Art Education, Vol. 13 [1995], Art. 27 http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol13/iss1/27 Map o f Canadian Arctic Regions including Western and Eastern Arctic Communities of women interviewed and treejjne' are indicated. McNeal: Western Arctic omen Artists http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol13/iss1/27 historical, social, cultural, and aesthetic milieu in which this art is created. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to discover, through conversations with women artists, and those involved in the teaching and sale of art, the context and motivation for women’s artistic production. In discovering their reasons for creating art, what influences their artistic production, and how they learned their aesthetic skills, we gain insight to guide future generations. The knowledge gained through this study will enhance world understanding of how women maintain cultural identity through their art, how they benefit from cooperation with other cultures, and how they contribute to the education of future generations. This understanding has implications for curriculum in Canada’s North and all of North America, and will foster more appropriate Discipline-based Art Education practices. Significance of the Study This study emphasizes the importance of women’s art in maintaining cultural identity. It is significant not only in Canada, but in other countries of the world where indigenous peoples have been colonized by those of a dominant culture. How women in certain cultures resist assimilation and maintain cultural identity through their artwork is an important outcome of this research. Through education and passing on artistic skills to later generations, women contribute greatly to their own culture and also to the cooperation and understanding of co-existing cultural groups. The addition of this information to existing multicultural perspectives will lead to more than artistic cooperation, enabling Discipline-Based Art Education programs to better serve the various cultures of the world, and foster greater understanding among them.