Mungo Martin
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Chief Mungo Martin or Nakapenkim (meaning a potlatch chief "ten times over"), Datsa (meaning "grandfather"), was a noted expert in the Northwest Coast style of artwork, a singer, and a songwriter.
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[edit] Early life
Martin was born in 1879 in Fort Rupert, British Columbia, to parents that were members of the Kwakwaka'wakw) Nation. While still young, he was a regular participant in rituals, songs, arts, and traditions of the local Kwakwaka'wakw and North Coastal culture. This formed the basis of his knowledge of the Northwest Coast style, and he applied it to designing, carving, and painting.
[edit] Professional Life
Charlie James, a famous Northwestern artist and Martin's stepfather, eventually guided Martin into the NW Coastal Art scene, acting as his mentor and expanding his learning in of the arts in general. Martin went on to become one of the first traditional artists to deal with many types of Northwest Coast sculptural and painting styles. He carved his first commissed totem pole in Alert Bay c1900, and titled it "Raven of the Sea."
Martin was responsible for the restoration and repair of many carvings and sculptures, totem poles, masks, and various other ceremonial objects. Martin also gained fame for holding the first public potlatch since the governmental potlatch ban of 1889. For this, he was awarded with a medal by the Canadian Council.[1]
He also acted as a tutor to his son-in-law Henry Hunt and grandson Tony Hunt. His grandsons Stanley Hunt and Richard Hunt are also professional carvers.
[edit] Later work and death
House built by Mungo Martin and David Martin with carpenter Robert J. Wallace. Based on Chief Nakap'ankam's house in Tsaxis (Fort Rupert). The house "bears on its house-posts the hereditary crests of Martin's family." It continues to be used for ceremonies with the permission of Chief Oast'akalagalis 'Walas 'Namugwis (Peter Knox, Martin's grandson) and Mable Knox.
Pole carved by Mungo Martin, David Martin and Mildred Hunt. "Rather than display his own crests on the pole, which was customary, Martin chose to include crests representing the A'wa'etlala, Kwagu'l, 'Nak'waxda'xw and 'Namgis Nations. In this way, the pole represents and honours all the Kwakwaka'wakw people."
Martin was hired in 1952 by the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, British Columbia to create works of Northwest Coastal Art as display pieces and examples. The final result was a huge totem pole, carved out of cedar, standing 160 feet tall. It was raised in 1956 and remained standing until 2000. [2] He also constructed the Wawadit'la, a Kwakwaka'wakw "big house", at Thunderbird Park in front of the museum.
Martin was significant in the Northwest Coastal Art scene for his vast amount of work and actual sculpting. He also was one of the first collectors of Northwest Coast Art, and as a result many museums in the Northwest began their collections under his aegis. He died in 1962 at the age of 83.
[edit] References
- ^ Encyclopedia of minorities in American politics. Jeffrey D. Schultz. 2000 Greenwood Press. ISBN 1573561487
- ^ Seasons in the Rain. Silver Donald. ISBN 0771018479
- Mungo Martin a slender thread: The legacy , by Barb Cranmer
- About Martin
- Ask Art Biography
- * Macnair, Peter L., Alan L. Hoover, and Kevin Neary (1984) The Legacy: Tradition and Innovation in Northwest Coast Indian Art. Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre.
