Click here to see a
rendering of a raven head wood carving. Raven was a revered diety in Northwest Indian cultures.These are computer renderings of various artifacts from the Northwest Coastal Native Americans, rendered by Michael Sean Ellars.
They were created in conjunction with the ARCH 407 class at the University of Southern California.
Professors: Karen Kensek and Doug Noble.
"In the world today, there is a commonly held belief that, thousands of years ago, as the world today counts time, Mongolian nomads crossed a land bridge to enter the western hemisphere, and became the people now known as the American Indians.Bill Reid"The truth, of course, is that the Raven found our forefathers in a clamshell on the beach at Naikun. At his bidding, they entered a world peopled by birds, beasts and creatures of great power and stature, and, with them, gave rise to the powerful families and their way of life.
"At least, that's a little bit of the truth.
"Another small part of it is that, after the flood, the Great Halibut was stranded near the mouth of the Nimkish River where he shed his tail and fins and skin, and became the first man. Thunderbird then took off his wings and beak and feathers to become the second man, and helped Halibut build the first house in which mankind spent his infancy.
"And the Swai-huay rose out of the Fraser. Needing a wife, he created a woman from the hemlock on the bank, and she, in time, gave birth to the children who became parents of all men.
"There is, it can be said, some scanty evidence to support the myth of the land bridge. But there is an enormous wealth of proof to confirm that the other truths are all valid."
Welcome to the Northwest Coast!
The "northwest" is inhabited by several Native American cultures. These cultures include:
Click here to see a
rendering of a raven head wood carving. Raven was a revered diety in Northwest Indian cultures.
Click here to see a
rendering of a ceremonial dagger. Daggers such as these were seldom used for warfare, instead appearing for ceremonial purposes such as marriages.
Click here to see a
rendering of various artifacts. The Northwest Coastal Indians had an afinity for collecting artifacts from all aspects of daily life.
Click here to see my latest project: a Northwest Coast House. Several types of architecture were practiced by the Northwest Coastal Indians. This is but a sample of the more co mmon ceremonial lodge.
Think this stuff is cool? Check out my classmates' work!