Lelooska: The Life of a Northwest Coast Artist [Paperback]

Chris Friday (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003

Don Smith, or Lelooska, (1933-1996) was well-known in the Pacific Northwest as a Native American artist and storyteller. Of 'mixed-blood' Cherokee heritage, he was adopted as an adult by the prestigious Kwakiutl Sewid clan and had relationships with elders from a wide range of tribal backgrounds. Initially producing curio items for sale to tourists and regalia for Oregon Indians, he emerged in the late 1950s as one of a handful of artists who proved critical in the renaissance of Northwest Coast Indian art. He also developed into a supreme performer and educator, staging shows of dances, songs, and storytelling. During the peak years from the 1970s to the early 1990s, the family shows with Lelooska as the centerpiece attracted as many as 30,000 people annually.In this book, historian and family friend Chris Friday shares and annotates interviews that he conducted with Lelooska between 1993 and 1996. In the process, he develops a portrait that is large enough to embrace the contradictory elements of Lelooska's life. What, he asks, is Native identity? What is 'authenticity' in art? How are we to understand the concept of pan-Indianism? What are the politics of Indian tribal adoption? By engaging these questions and the contradictions that produce them, Friday honors Lelooska's complexity and constructs Lelooska's life as a prism for viewing the shifting and historically indeterminate nature of twentieth-century Indian identities. Chris Friday is professor of history and director of the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies at Western Washington University.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is more than a Northwest narrative. At its most fundamental level, it is a Native story. In the life and times of Lelooska, we see key issues confronted by countless American Indians in regard to identity. Lelooska's story helps us to understand that identity is not simply bestowed but is forged through life choices and experiences."--Peter Iverson, Arizona State University

About the Author

Chris Friday is professor of history and director of the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies at Western Washington University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Univ of Washington Pr (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295983248
• ISBN-13: 978-0295983240
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #587,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks Chris!, November 4, 2003

By 

Jamie (Wa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lelooska: The Life of a Northwest Coast Artist (Paperback)

Being Lelooska's grand-neice, my rating may be somewhat biased, but I would like to thank Chris for writing an excellent book on Uncle Don. It means so much to our family! :)