George and Joanne MacDonald Northwest Coast Image Archive

The Bill Reid Centre's George and Joanne MacDonald Image Archive contains images of Northwest Coast First Peoples, their villages, and their visual and material belongings. Many of the images collected by the MacDonalds are not unique, and can be found in museums and archives around the world. Throughout his career, Dr. MacDonald sought to bring these important resources together under one roof with the intent of creating access for Northwest Coast First Nations, and in particular artists, whose passion for historic imagery and visual documentation of their cultural belongings he witnessed first-hand. The archive is a reflection of the MacDonalds' research interests, their careers in archaeology and anthropology, their many relationships in the field, and their deep respect and admiration of the diverse nations of the Northwest Coast.

Contributed by The Bill Reid Centre, Simon Fraser University.

Copyright and Terms of use

See individual items for detailed Copyright and Terms of use information. 

 

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Displaying 1411 - 1425 of 5804

Detail: Beaver Memorial

Kuuna18-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1972
Name(s): MacDonald, George F.
Description: Detail of the figure at the base is a beaver with fourteen potlatch cylinders above it.

Detail: Beaver Memorial

Kuuna40-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1967
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: This tall memorial features a beaver at the base with small bears in its ears. Above this crest figure is a column with sixteen potlatch cylinders and between the paws of the beaver is a small human figure. In the background, is another beaver memorial with fourteen potlatch cylinders.

Detail: Beaver Memorial

Kuuna41-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1967
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: This tall memorial features a beaver at the base with small bears in its ears. Above this crest figure is a column with sixteen potlatch cylinders and between the paws of the beaver is a small human figure. In the background, is another beaver memorial, but this pole has fourteen potlatch cylinders.

Detail: Beaver Memorial

Tanu18-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1947
Name(s): Barbeau, Marius, 1883-1969
Description: At the base of this memorial is a beaver with a tall column of potlatch cylinders rising above it. A copper was originally nailed to the first potlatch cylinder.

Detail: Beaver Memorial Face

Kuuna42-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1967
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: Detail of the face of the beaver from the memorial pole with fourteen potlatch cylinders.

Detail: Cormorant

Kaisun08-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1968
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: Detail of the cormorant from the top of the pole. Originally, the pole featured three watchmen that have been removed.

Detail: Cormorant Wing

Kaisun01-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1968
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: Detail of the wing of a cormorant figure from the top figure of a frontal pole. The long beak of the cormorant can be seen above the wing.

Detail: Diving Figure Pole

Yan62-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1980
Name(s): MacDonald, George F.
Description: A very unusual memorial pole found at the south end of the village. This details the diving slave figure on the front of the pole.

Detail: Double Mortuary

Kuuna34-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1967
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: Depicted on the frontal plaque is the dogfish wearing a large labret. This form of dogfish came from a Sitka, Alaska, story in which a woman chief began to change into a dogfish while talking to her friends one day. Her nose lengthened and curved into her mouth, but her labret remained in place. The long nose was a piece attached to the plaque that has fallen off.

Detail: Eagle

Yan09-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1963
Description: Detail of a carving of an eagle on top of a short plain post.

Detail: Eagle

Tanu34-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1968
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: Detail of the eyes of the eagle crest from the Strong House frontal pole at Royal Ontario Museum.

Detail: Eagle

Tanu41-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1967
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: On left, Eagle from the Eagle Leg House frontal pole.

Detail: Eagle Mortuary

Kuuna25-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1967
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: Detail of the eagle mortuary from the side. Note the carvings on the wings are still clear, and the blunt face where the separately carved beak has fallen off.

Detail: Eye

Yan04-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1968
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: Detail of the eye of a raven (with beak bent down) that sits on top of a memorial pole.

Detail: Eye

SGangGwaay56-Thumbnail Image.jpg
Date: 1967
Name(s): De Menil, Adelaide
Description: Very unusual in that the brow line is very sharply pointed.