TLINGIT ANIMALS
In this podcast I will cover the art of the Tlingits, the First Nation people of the pacific northwest. ages 11+
Supplies:
pencil
plain paper
markers or colored pencils
printouts of the TlinGit animal drawings and descriptions from the link
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES FOR TLINGIT TOTEM POLE:
cardboard tubes, milk jugs or Kwikrete tubes
paper mache (mix flour and warm water until consistency of pancake batter, liberal amount of salt to prevent mold)
or plaster of paris from the hardware store
rolls of masking tape
donated white latex paint
black, blue and green acrylic paint
Start the class by showing students where the Pacific Northwest is
located on a map. When pronouncing Tlingit, Replace the T with a K so it sounds like Tlinkit. Ask if any of the students have visited Southeast Alaska before and seen Tlingit art. The simplified drawings of animals use formline which is thick and thin black lines surrounding rounded rectangles and U shapes. The animals are painted with a limited palette of red, blue and green.
Tlingit culture places a heavy emphasis on family and kinship and on a rich tradition of story-telling.
Hand out examples of Tlingit animal drawings to the class. Sometimes the Tlingit drawings are so stylized that its difficult to identify the animal. I included a link to a sheet of realistic animal drawings alongside their graphic, Tlingit style versions.
The lesson:
We will be creating a totem. Totems are upright or vertical log towers with animals carved into the wood. Certain animals are chosen to tell stories of their clan’s family history. Each animal symbolizes certain traits and spritual meaning. There are two main clans in Tlingit culture: Raven and Eagle.
The Raven represents creation, knowledge and prestige.
The Eagle symbolizes strength, peace and leadership.
Ask your students to listen as you read about the characteristics of several animals and have them choose one to represent their family or themselves. Using a pencil, draw thick and thin black lines to create a simplified version of different animals in Tlingit style. Color in the shapes using the traditional colors of red, blue and green. The drawings on the sample sheet are the work of another artist. Use it as a reference and create your own unique details.
If your students’ drawings are all roughly the same size you can hang them up one on top of the other like a Tlingit Totem.
There are two ways to take this project further. One is print-making and the other is to build an actual totem pole.
Since the Tlingit animals are drawn with simple lines and shapes it’s easy to transform them into a print. The next podcast, Printmaking 101, explains the print-making process step by step. After the Tlingit print is made, color the black and white print with paint, colored pencils or
markers. Remember that there are only three colors besides black in Tlingit art: red, blue and green.
If you would like to go all out and make an actual totem pole, there are a couple of ways to do it. Use something stackable for each of the animal faces like plastic milk jugs with the tops cut off or cut cardboard mailing tubes into sections. For a full scale replica of a totem pole, I used, Quickrete tubes. They are large tubes made of thick cardboard and can be found at the hardware store in 8, 10 and 12 inch diameters. A tube with a 12” opening and 48” long cost $20. They cut easily with a small hand saw into sections, one section for each group of 3 or 4 students.
It takes several classes to transform the tube sections into Tlingit animal faces. First, have the kids choose which of their animal drawings to use and then sketch it out on the side of the tube in pencil. Next, supply pieces of cardboard, paper cups, egg cartons and crumpled up newspaper to form the facial features. Use masking tape to build up the parts of the different features of the face onto the side of the tube. Use thick and thin rolled newspaper taped to the tube for the black outline of the face. When the three dimensional face is ready and taped well to the tube, use strips of newspaper dipped in paper maché to cover everything. A simple paper maché recipe is one part flour to two parts warm water, mixed to a pancake batter consistency. Add salt to keep mildew from forming while it dries. Mix a pitcher or two ahead of time to use for the day, refilling containers on tables.
I used plaster of paris strips from the hardware store. These are the same strips that are used in a doctors office to make a cast. Plaster of paris has about 30 minutes of working time before it hardens which is perfect for a 45 minute class. Don’t rinse it in the sink or it will harden in the pipes. Cover the tables you are working on with a cheap, disposable table covering or spread out newspaper. Use paper bowls and plastic spoons, and toss it all into the trash when class is over. This makes clean-up easy since plaster or paper maché is super messy.
Cut the plaster of paris bandages into 4-6” lengths and dip into water. The plaster covered strips turn pasty. Place the strip over a section of newspaper and tape then smooth it down with your fingers. When we ran out of the plaster strips, I went a cheaper route and bought the plaster of paris powder in a carton and mixed a new batch for each class. I bought a yard of cheap muslin at the fabric store and tore it into strips to dip into the plaster and finish the faces.
When all of the facial features are covered in plaster or paper maché and completely dry it is time to paint. I used white latex house paint to cover the entire tube. Parents are always happy to donate extra house paint they have taking up space in the garage. Use acrylic paint for the black outlines and the red, blue and green sections.
Stack the animal sections for a crazy-cool totem pole. I taped them together on the inside and stacked them in a corner since they toppled over easily. Latex and acrylic paint are weather-proof, so the poles can go outside. Remember to take pictures of the kids standing proudly in front of their totem pole.