Linoleum Block Print Totem Project


Students in Art 1A worked in groups to produce a series of block prints that could be printed singly and then in juxtaposition with the other prints in their table group. They learned to use the design elements of Northwest coast Native Americans including the Haida, Tsimshian, Tlingit, and Central coast Kwakiutl. The final product had to replicate a totem pole of a particular tribal style and have a story describing some natural phenomena.

How the Bear Got its Fur

by four Art 1A students, December 1997

There once was an eagle who was angry because everyday the two bear brothers who lived just down the road would always steal his fish from the river before he would wake up in the morning. This frustrated him and he wanted to teach the brothers a lesson, so he went to the old wise man who lived just on the edge of the forest and asked him if he could do anything about his predicament. The wise old man told the eagle that he might be able to do something but it was not a foolproof plan. The wise man told the eagle that if the bear had fur he may not like the water that much because it would take longer to dry and the bear brothers hate to be wet! Many days later, after the wise old man had given the bears a thick coat of lush fur the plan did not seem to be working, the bears were very happy. That was until they went fishing, as soon as they got out of the river it felt to them that their fur had soaked up almost half of the river and it took forever to dry! Since then the bear brothers seldom entered the river and they stuck to land hunting. The eagle was happy with the outcome of the wise man's spell and to this day the majority of the bear population prefer hunting to fishing even though some bears still go in the water to catch fish, especially on hot days.

 

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