THE HISTORY OF INDIGENOUS ART

The history of Indigenous art in Canada begins sometime between 80,000 and 12,000 years ago. However, the oldest surviving artworks are datable to no earlier than 5,000 years ago. The development of Indigenous art in Canada is in many ways more complex than that of the relatively recent European settlers, and may be divided into three distinct periods: prehistoric art, contact or "historic" art, and contemporary Indigenous art.

Prehistoric art is the period of Indigenous art least known in Canada and some common characteristics of it include the use of natural pigments derived from minerals and plants, a focus on representing animals and humans, use of asymmetrical composition, and an emphasis on capturing movement and vitality.

Post-contact or "historic" art in Canada is well known, mainly because examples have been collected, sketched and written about by explorers, traders, missionaries, artists and scholars for over 300 years and are part of museum collections around the world

Contemporary Indigenous art is that which has been produced by Indigenous peoples between around 1945 to the present, indeed traditional artwork continues to be produced for use within still vital or newly revitalized Indigenous communities.

The Indigenous arts provide very significant economic, social and cultural benefits for each individual and community so there are many good reasons to keep alive the culture through many ways

what can we do?

- Purchasing directly from artists or through organizations that work with indigenous communities

- Organize exhibitions in galleries and public spaces to promote indigenous artists and their work.

-Host festivals that celebrate indigenous art

- Create websites or social media pages dedicated to showcasing indigenous art- Establish art education programs in schools that focus on indigenous art forms

- Encourage projects that involve both indigenous and non-indigenous artists working together in respectful and meaningful ways