“Art is at it’s best when it is delivered from one heart to another”
Sean Tucker
During the early years of the 19th century, the population of the Columbia River people was greatly reduced by disease imported by travelers from Europe and the newly formed United States.
As with all populations under this type of stress, the peoples of the Columbia River were more concerned about living than about art. Much of the meaning behind the art was lost. As the population was further reduced and the remaining people were pushed from their lands and mixed together, their unique art and traditions were forgotten.
During the last couple of decades, the peoples of the Columbia River have become more secure in their identity and are cultivating the uniqueness of their cultures and art. This resurgence has led to renewed diversity in the artistic concepts and thoughts behind the unique Columbia River art form.
Every once in while one sees something that speaks to your heart. One such item is a small ladle in the Lelooska Foundation museum collection. The ladle was carved by a Wasco carver sometime between 1840 and 1920. It’s so small and insignificant looking that most people pass it by without more than a glance. As far as I know, it was collected at the Pendleton roundup sometime in the 1960’s. The Wasco people lived on the Oregon side of the Columbia River near Celilo Falls. Now, they mostly live on the Warm Springs reservation.
I’ve asked around and nobody can say for certain what function were served by the ladles. It is recalled that some were used by shaman to administer medications, some were used to drink fish oil at feasts, and others were used as common drinking vessels. There doesn’t appear to be any known distinguishing characteristics between the types.
According to some Wasco artists, the figure on the handle represents the figure of the owner’s personal power helper. These helpers were usually animals who have offered assistance in dealing with the unknown. In Wasco culture, the identity of one’s helper is closely held. Should someone discover the identity of your helper, they can use that knowledge to chase it away, leaving you powerless in the face of the world’s mysteries.
The dilemma for the carver is how to invoke the power of one’s helper without revealing that helper to the world. To prevent its identity from becoming known to others, the figure must hold enough ambiguity to be indistinguishable yet to invoke said power, the carving must also exhibit the essence of your helper. Quite a challenge.
Adam MacIsaac is a carver working with other Columbia River artists to reinvigorate the art of the Columbia River cultures, while advancing the artistic concepts into the future. Several of his pieces are displayed in the city of Ridgefield as well as the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. He studied with famed Northwest Coast artist Duane Pasco to learn northwest coast carving.
I was fortunate to secure one of the last spots in a small Columbia River ladle carving class taught by Adam. He offered two patterns, one historic, but culturally generic, and the other of a modern design motif. I chose to carve the historic pattern.
Here is a photo of his modern pattern ladle. He invented the bird figure based on his knowledge of the art and his vision for its relevance today.
We started with a chunk of fresh red alder which I shaped using my Kestrel Sitka adze. We start by flattening the split surface of the log, establishing the center line of the carving, and drawing the pattern on the blank centered on the centerline.
If you’ve never transferred a pattern to wood before, first trace the pattern lines with a soft pencil. Then flip the pattern over, center it on the centerline, and trace the lines onto the block. This will transfer the graphite you added by tracing it the first time, from the paper to the wood. Once the lines are transferred to the wood block they can be darkened with a Stabilo pencil. This only works on flat surfaces. On curved surfaces it’s easier to use a clear sheet of acetate suspended above the carving. Transfer the pattern onto the acetate sheet and hold the sheet over the carving while you draw the lines.
Then whack away with the adze to create the top-down profile, working to keep the sides perpendicular to the split surface. Repeat the process with the sides and most of the carving is complete. I glossed over the difficulty in transferring the pattern to the sides. As you can imagine, the drawings need to match. No fear, just fiddle with drawing until the sides match.
Once the side profile is roughed out, the bowl needs to be hollowed. In the following photo you can see Adam’s lip adze. He let me try it out for hollowing the bowl. I was impressed. The flat blade removes wood fast and with a bit of practice the lips let you get into the corners. With this small a carving I was using mostly the lips. This is a real nice tool; quite versatile. After the class I ordered one from Kestrel.
All of the perforations were carved with a knife. I didn’t use power tools for this carving. To finish the surface, I sanded the entire ladle with 80, 120, and 220 grit paper. Then coated it with mineral oil to seal the surface.
Here is the finished ladle I carved. The carving took me about 12 hours to complete. However, I fussed over the face for much too long. You can compare the drawing above to my final rendition.
I really enjoyed Adam’s class and wouldn’t hesitate to take another. I especially enjoyed his perspective on the history and resurgence of the art. I am excited that there is a conscious effort among Columbia River Artists to not only recover the historic symbology, but to evolve the symbology to the 21st century. Artists will once again be able to express themselves in this nearly lost art form. And that, is a benefit to all of us.