Emily Carr Essay - one of my first college papers. The class was supposed to write about something PDF

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one of my first college papers. The class was supposed to write about something that other people should know about Victoria B.C. and Emily Carr was a very famous Artist who lived here and had a huge effect on why Indigenous art in so involved in our local art today. ...

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Running head: EMILY CARR AND RECONCILIATION 1

Emily Carr and Her Impact on Indigenous Issues English 151-021 Camosun College Due: November 24th, 2017

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You would be surprised if you knew how many people aren’t aware of reconciliation, but throughout the years artist have helped people understand the effect that colonization has had on Indigenous communities through their art. Emily Carr was known as a very unique and quirky person, but she was also an artist that to this day still bring sheds light on the tragedies that Indigenous communities have had to face, along with the beauty within Indigenous communities. Emily Carr was Influenced by the beautiful landscape in Victoria and the by the local West Coast Indigenous people. Unfortunately because she was non- indigenous she was an easy target for being accused of appropriation. Emily Carr and other artist have brought light to indigenous issues and have planned a major role in the healing process of reconciliation. Reconciliation is one of those words that I find is open for interpretation, for me it means making a relationship between people compatible again. In Canada The Truth and Reconciliation Commission what put in place to help along the healing of the hardships that Canada Indigenous People have been through. Art is one of the best ways to educate people, definitely when it comes to reconciliation because many people even in this day and age aren't aware of so many things that have been done to indigenous people in canada. More people being well educated on the tragedies that have happened to indigenous people have such as the spread of smallpox, the 60’s Scoop and residential schools makes people more open to talking about those issues. Having more dialog around these issues is a big step to take towards reconciliation. Having public indigenous art can also make indigenous people feel less displaced and more like they belong. Not only does art, like Emily Carr’s shows people what affects colonization has on indigenous people but also the beauty. Emily Carr’s painting “Tanoo” from 1913, was a painting

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done in Hida Guia. This painting was of an abandoned village with rotting totem poles. This was a village that was wiped out because of the spread of smallpox. She what brought there by the a guide from Hida Guia so it could be documented(Shadbolt,2013). “Indian Church” was another painting Emily did in 1929. This painting was done of a church in friendly cove, where Captain Cook first stepped foot on Canadian soil. In the painting there is a very straight, square, generic church. Surrounded the church is a forest with Emily’s classic trees but with in the trees are some indigenous art figures (Baldissera). It’s rumoured that when she painted Indian Church, Emily was invited to attend a tour of the monument of Captain Cook, she denied saying she had better things to do. This painting is so well know because it represents the effect on colonization on the indigenous way of life. (Stewart, 2005) Emily Carr was very consumed in her own idea of indigenous culture. She wrote a book called “Klee Wyck” The Books name was a name she was given by a Nuu-Chah-Nulth elder on her trip to Ucluelet, meaning “laughing one”. In this book she often mentions how she wishes she was indian and she romanticized the culture in a way where it could be considered fantasy. On the same trip she got her native name she was chased out of a Wynook house by a women who accused her of capturing souls in her drawings.(Stewart, 2005) In some indigenous culture you aren’t allowed to take any kind of picture in a sacred place because that is where souls go to rest and you might capture one in the picture. “Carr was Chased out from the wynook house to “steal souls” in sketches, and it seems ironic that she left the village having assumed an aboriginal soul of her own.” (Stewart, 2005) Although she was very socially engaged in all of these visits the language barrier still would have make it difficult for her to fully understand what the people had been through.

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Ever since Emily moved to Victoria there was Indigenous people, Mostly Songhees people in the area. Her father had sympathy for the local indigenous people which may be why she because so influenced by indigenous culture (2). Emily never felt at home in the city so she would often be in nature when painting. She also always showed an interest in Indigenous structures, culture, and material but unfortunately in those days indigenous ways of life were considered to be dying. In 1912, Emily Carr had decided to start making a visual record through her art, of Indigenous Totem poles in villages on the West Coast before they disappeared. The painting mentioned above “tanoo” 1913 was incorporated in her records (4) At the age of 57 years old, Emily caught the attention of the curators from the National Art Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa. She got invited to have her art shown at the expedition of West Coast Aboriginal Art. It was at this expedition she met the Group of Seven and eventually Emily Carr was considered to be the 8th member of the Group of Seven. (4) In the 1980’s, Indigenous people wanted to gain power over their land and were fighting for self-government. This brought up how poorly treated indigenous people were throughout the years. The appropriate of of indigenous art started to become a hot topic and Emily Carr was an easy target(1). As mentioned before she wanted to record indigenous culture through her art and was even at time brought to the these villages and sacred places by indigenous people for her to do just that, record what colonials had thought was a dying culture. Although Emily was appropriating indigenous culture she was not doing any harm, she was trying to help it stay alive.

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Emily Carr was one of the first European Canadian Artist to recognize Indigenous Culture, art, and way of life to be something of importance in Canada(3). Along with the tragedies that came with colonization of Canada. Because of her marvelous respect, appreciation, and apprehension for the culture more and more people have, and still are becoming aware of the culture and the culture genocide that took place(3). Even though she may not have been able to fully understand what the people have been through she still wanted to document it so today people could see the culture that used to be. More people being aware of the what happened in Canada makes more people open to dialog about it. For me part of reconciliation is about people openly talking about the catastrophes that Canada is built on.

Work Cited

EMILY CARR AND RECONCILIATION

(1) Art Canada Institution. “ACI Lecture Series: Emily Carr.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbo0ho08nC8 (2) Baldissera, lisa. “Emily Carr Life & Work” Art Canada Institution. : n. pag. Web (3) Godlien Andrea. Personal Interview. 10 Nov. 2017 (4) Shadbolt, Doris. “Emily Carr.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. 23 June. 2013. n. pag. Web h ttp://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/emily-carr/ (5) Stewart, Janice. “Cultural Appropriations and identificatory Practices in Emily Carr’s “ Indian Stories.” Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies. 2005. Pg. 49-72. Web

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