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With These Hands: Traditional Arts, Crafts, and Trades of Atlantic Canada
194Overview
In the age of big box stores and mass production, there are still artists and crafts people who make beautiful things by hand. Colourful quilts, hooked rugs, and stained glass. Resilient dories and snowshoes. Whimsical whirligigs. In this book, Don MacLean explores the traditional crafts of Atlantic Canada, visiting dozens of creators in their workshops, galleries, and homes, giving insight into their process and inspiration.
MacLean interviews Dora Gloade about Mi'kmaw bead- and leatherwork. He talks to Yvette Muise about preserving the Chéticamp hooked rug tradition. He speaks to a luthier and a jeweller. There is an irresistible allure to items that are carefully, lovingly, made by hand, whether they are carved from wood or painted on canvas, and MacLean's book explores that. This book contains over two dozen photos.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781771087315 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Nimbus Publishing |
| Publication date: | 06/27/2019 |
| Pages: | 194 |
| Product dimensions: | 6.50(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.50(d) |
About the Author
Don MacLean writes about the outdoors, as well as traditional crafts, from wood carving to canoe building. His articles have appeared in Atlantic Salmon Journal, Saltscapes, Eastern Woods and Waters, Canadian Fly Fisher, Outdoor Canada, and others. MacLean is the author of two books on the outdoors and sportfishing and many newspaper columns. He lives in Pictou, Nova Scotia.
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Crafts from Nature?
THE last ice of the Wisconsin Glaciation retreated from Atlantic Canada twelve thousand years ago and life returned to the land.
Fish may have been the first to animals to return, swimming up rivers of glacial meltwater from refuge areas farther south. Fish were followed by game, which in turn led to the migration of the first people to the region. These Indigenous people survived in a harsh land by taking advantage of the materials available to them. They fished, hunted, and foraged for food, clothing, shelter, and the necessities of life. The skills they gained remain today and are undergoing a renaissance as skilled practitioners not only maintain the traditions but are passing them on to a new generation of makers. Heather Stevens, operational supervisor at the Millbrook Cultural and Heritage Centre in Millbrook, Nova Scotia, shared her perspective on the current state of traditional crafts in Indigenous communities. "There is [a] resurgence in interest. We put on crafting classes here at the centre, and I am seeing a lot of interest from people reconnecting with their culture." An interest which, I discovered, is shared by a growing number of skilled artisans across Atlantic Canada.
Crystal Gloade
• Quillwork •
"You have to respect the process."
When I was growing up I used to spend time with my grandmother at my mother's old home. I can remember Grandmother sitting in her rocking chair by the kitchen stove while she sewed. One of her prized possessions was a porcupine quill box where she kept her needles, thread, and thimbles. The box was made from birchbark, which was covered with porcupine quills. My mother kept the quill box and now I have it. The colours have faded but you can see the intricate design. I took the box with me when I went to visit Crystal Gloade at her home in Millbrook, Nova Scotia. She welcomed me and was pleased to see the quill box. She examined it and pointed out that the quills used were fine, and added that the design was a very old one. I thanked her and look forward to passing the box on to our daughters.
The art and craft of porcupine quillwork has a long history in Mi'kmaw culture, and Crystal is an acknowledged expert who is continuing that tradition. Crystal was born in Boston but moved to Nova Scotia when she was twelve, after her mother remarried. She now lives in Millbrook with her husband and family. Crystal recently retired from her work as a financial services manager for the Confederacy of Mainland Mi'kmaq in Millbrook and now works full-time in her chosen mediums of porcupine quills, birchbark, and leather. Crystal grew up in a family where crafts were an important part of life, and she credits her grandmother, Betsy Paul, who lived in Indian Brook, as her main influence.
"My grandmother specialized in ash baskets, especially potato baskets, which she used to sell to Herschel Smith in Mars Hill, Maine, where they were used for harvesting potatoes," Crystal told me. "My uncle, Frank Paul, used to help her by splitting and soaking the ash to make the splints she used. He also made and sold axe handles, also from ash." I asked Crystal when she began making quillwork. "Millbrook had an exhibit back in 1999, and I was really impressed with crafts made by Tina Findlay from New Brunswick and Loraine Francis from Pictou Landing. Tina made birchbark and quillwork hair barrettes, while Lorraine made quillwork baskets. Their crafts strongly influenced me, and once I learned the basics, I haven't stopped."
I asked her about the skills required for her crafts. "Well, patience is important and you have to respect the process," Crystal explained. "My grandmother was constantly tinkering with her crafts as she experimented with different ways of doing things. She used to tell me that there is no machine that can duplicate these crafts as we make them, and there are no shortcuts. No two are the same, as each piece of material you use is different, and the way you work with it changes also."
I asked Crystal where she sourced the raw materials for her crafts. "We collect it from a variety of sources," she said, and laughed. "Roadkill porcupines are often the source for quills." Crystal told me about a technique that she hasn't tried herself but which has been used by others. It involves finding a porcupine in a tree and placing a blanket on the ground under it. The porcupine is persuaded to leave the tree and once on the ground is covered by another blanket. The porcupine is then released to live another day and regrow its quills, while the blankets are left with a good selection of released quills. Collecting the quills is only the first part of the process. They must then be washed and carefully dried, as they will become moldy if left damp.
Crystal also explained the process she uses for collecting birchbark. "We collect what we call summer bark from white birch, mostly in July to mid-August." Crystal uses nature to tell her when the bark is ready. "When we see fireflies flashing at night we know the bark is ready for harvest," she told me. I asked her why summer bark was the preferred material for her crafts. "Winter bark is too thick and difficult to work with," she replied. "The bark is carefully removed from the tree. Since the sap is in the wood, the bark comes off easily and the tree will grow new bark to replace it." She explained where she makes the cuts to remove the bark. "If you study the tree you will see where to make the cuts. The tree will let it go and you can easily remove it." The bark Crystal collects has an outer white layer and an inner dark layer that resembles leather. She uses both sides, depending on the crafts she is making. Crystal is very proud of her birchbark angels, which she created a few years ago and which have become a specialty of hers. She credits her grandmother as her influence for the development of her angels. "She used to make paper angels with me when I was a child, and one day I thought that I would make one out of birchbark."
"[The Mi'kmaq] continued to use porcupine quills for decoration; the quills denoted status and power, and gave objects and individuals magical powers. In the seventeenth century the Micmac [sic] used them in five ways — loom weaving, wrapping, plaiting, stitching, and for decorating birchbark."
- Jim Lotz, Head, Heart, and Hands: Craftspeople in Nova Scotia (1986)
Crystal explained how she creates the colours in her quillwork. "I use a variety of dyes, mostly commercial ones, but I am very interested in using natural dyes in the future." I also asked her about the range of colours found in her work. "The traditional colours used in Mi'kmaw work were red, yellow, white, and blue. The elders have told me that black wasn't used until after European contact." Crystal explained that while the colour black signified death, blue represented life, white was new beginnings, yellow was for summer, and red was for fall. In addition to porcupine quills and birchbark, Crystal often incorporates sweetgrass in her crafts as an edging or binding.
Dyeing porcupine quills is not a simple process. The quills first have to be cleaned with detergent to remove dirt and oils before being simmered in a bath of dye, salt, and water for up to an hour and a half. "You have to watch the temperature closely," Crystal told me. "The quills can melt if the water is too hot."
Since her recent retirement, Crystal has been very busy passing on her experience to the next generation of craftspeople, especially young children. She has completed twenty school workshops in the past years, as well as workshops at NSCAD University (formerly the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design). Her workshops vary in size from fifteen to thirty students; I asked her how she manages to keep on track with a large group. She laughed. "You have to be organized. I make sure everything is laid out beforehand, including the exact number and colour of quills they will need for their craft." I asked her how she introduces her crafts to a younger audience. "I usually begin with either a woven bracelet or a hair medallion of birchbark with some quillwork," she told me. "Once they have mastered the basic skills, from weaving or using an awl to punch the holes for the quills, they are very enthusiastic about what they have created." I was interested to learn that a variety of quills are required for various crafts. "I like to use quills from the belly as they are softer and easier to work with," Crystal told me. "If I need heavier and stronger quills I use ones from the back of the animal." She showed me the finest quills, which come from the head of the porcupine. These very fine, hair-like quills are not sharp and are used to make very elaborate, beautiful headdresses and bustles for ceremonial purposes.
I asked Crystal if she enjoyed teaching her crafts. "Very much so," she replied. "I am excited about the crafts I do and enjoy passing on what I know to others." Crystal told me that one of her goals for the future is to develop a course that shows the entire process, from collecting the quills and preparing them, to when and where to collect birchbark. Crystal continues to get a great deal of satisfaction from her work and from actively passing it on to the next generation. "I am always trying to build on what I have learned and am excited about what the future holds."
Clifford Paul
• Jeweller •
"I guess the creativity was always there."
I've known Clifford Paul for several years as we've both worked in natural resources management, but I was not aware of his jewellery until I began working on this book. I asked Clifford about his introduction to crafts. "I learned crafts as a child, growing up in Membertou First Nation on Cape Breton. My mother, Margaret, and father, Paul, both introduced me to crafts, including leatherwork and beading." Clifford's interest in crafts continued as he grew up, some of it out of necessity. "If we wanted a fishing rod, we made one," Clifford told me. "The same for bows and arrows. We made our own equipment." Clifford grew away from crafting for a number of years as he married, had a family, and worked, often with his father and grandfather in construction.
I asked Clifford what brought him back to crafts. "It was out of necessity more than anything else. I was unemployed and looking for work. I had a sister who ran a crafts shop, so I worked there for a while. One day a man came in with a bow and some arrows that were made by an elder. He also had a necklace that included a single bear tooth with glass beads." Clifford really liked it but it was too small for his neck so he asked if it could be made bigger. The man explained to Clifford how to make it larger. "I followed his directions and my interest in crafting jewellery was born."
That experience reignited an interest that had lain dormant for many years. "I guess the creativity was always there," Clifford said. "I was writing and doing other things, but the jewellery was another way to express it." Clifford was forty-two when he began crafting jewellery, and for the past twelve years he has been perfecting his craft. Today, through his company, Bearman Authentics, his creations are widely sought after. He utilizes stone, bone, glass, crystals, and leather to create one-of-a-kind pieces that honour his First Nations heritage. Clifford's work as a craftsperson has enabled him to travel throughout Canada and the United States selling his work at powwows and other First Nations events.
While Clifford's jewellery is firmly rooted in Mi' kmaw culture and tradition, he also produces blended work where he may incorporate references to modern culture — ranging from Pokemon characters to bullets — in his work. One of his biggest sellers is a stone turtle, and I questioned him about its significance. "In Mi'kmaw culture we trace our family lineage through clans associated with animals, and the turtle clan is one of them."
I asked Clifford how people view his modern take on traditional crafts. "They seem to have embraced it," he replied. "I get a lot of requests for it." While Clifford may push the envelope in his art he also takes his First Nations legacy very seriously. "I view myself as a front-line creator who delivers culture to the people through my crafts," he said. "Whether you are a crafter or an elder who sells their knitting, you are an active player in the social economy."
Clifford balances his work as a craftsperson with his job as moose management coordinator for the Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources, which manages natural resources for the Mi'kmaw communities on Cape Breton Island: Eskasoni, Membertou, Potlotek, Wagmatcook, and We'koqma'q. The balance of work and craft is important to Clifford, and I asked him how he attained it. "I have a handle on it. I control it; it doesn't control me," he said with a laugh.
For Clifford the return to the creative process is a revival for him, one which he nourishes. "It was dormant for a number of years, but now I nurture my creative side and I enjoy seeing my children and grandchildren taking an interest. The tradition was always there." Before I left I gave Clifford antlers from a whitetail buck I harvested the previous fall. I know, in his talented hands, they will become something of lasting beauty that will honour both the animal and Clifford's heritage.
Mary and Virick Francis
• Makers of Baskets, Flowers, and Salmon •
We took that as a good sign that we had done a good thing."
I became aware of the skills of Mary Francis and her son Virick Francis as artists and basketmakers a few years ago when I was working with the Nova Scotia fisheries department. We were updating the visitors' centre at the department's fish hatchery on the Margaree River on Cape Breton Island. The centre includes a section on the close connections First Nations have with Atlantic salmon and the river. We turned to the Unama'ki Institute of Natural Resources, which manages natural resources for the Mi'kmaw communities on Cape Breton Island, for advice on how we should proceed. Then-executive director, the late Charlie Dennis, knew of his aunt Mary Francis's skills as a basketmaker and approached her about using those skills to make some salmon for the display. I asked Mary about that project. "I had never made a salmon but Charlie kept asking me, so with Virick's help, we came up with a design." The salmon are a stunning example of basketmaking skill. Mary told me an interesting story about the day they were installed in the visitors' centre. "We hung them from the ceiling and they slowly spun around and ended up pointing directly at the river. We took that as a good sign that we had done a good thing," she said with a smile.
On the day I visited Mary and Virick in Eskasoni, Nova Scotia, Mary was busy working on her daily quota of two dozen wooden flowers. Mary is well known for ash baskets and now the flowers she crafts from local poplar. I asked her where she gets her wood and how it is prepared. "My husband cuts the poplar and splits it into the thin strips I need to make the flowers." Mary took me through the process of making a wooden rose. "Each petal is precut into the required shape and then it is tied onto a wire stem. Once the required petals are tied in, I often finish them with ribbons and feathers." While single flowers are Mary's main product, she showed me photos of the work she has created over the years: an impressive collection of wedding arrangements, bouquets, and boutonnieres. She also is frequently asked for funeral arrangements. One of the pieces she is most proud of is the flower arrangement she created at the request of the family of Donald Marshall Jr. after he passed away.
Mary was born on Chapel Island, Cape Breton, and learned basket making from her mother. I asked her what they had used for crafting their baskets; I come from that side of Cape Breton and knew that ash was very scarce there. "We used maple," Mary told me. "My father would cut it and prepare the strips we needed for baskets." I asked her what type of baskets they used to build. "Oh, we made everything. Clothes baskets, comb baskets, all shapes and sizes. Whatever would sell."
While Mary worked all her life crafting baskets, it was not her only accomplishment. In addition to raising her own two children, over the years she and her husband have fostered seventy-two children, from infants to teenagers. They adopted four of the foster children who were in their care. I saw that Mary was very busy so I asked her if she still made baskets. "I have no time for baskets," she told me. "I can't keep up with the demand for my flowers."
When Mary became ill a few years ago, her daughter Lena returned home to help her. Lena is continuing the family tradition of basketmaking with a more modern take on the traditional craft. Her wooden star creations are crafted from poplar strips. Lena bends then into shape, burns the edges, and adds minilights. Lena told me they are a popular item at craft sales.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "With These Hands"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Don MacLean.
Excerpted by permission of Nimbus Publishing Limited.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Crafts from Nature
Chapter 2 Wood
Chapter 3 Folk Art
Chapter 4 Textiles
Chapter 5 Metal, Glass, and Leather
Chapter 6 Sporting Crafts
Afterword Traditions in Transition