Story Teller

Description

‘Story Teller’ by Norman Tait – First Nations Northwest Coast Nisga’a Artist presented by DaVic Gallery of Native Canadian Arts.

Condition:       Very Good condition – Professionally restored for paper handling marks.  Clear and bright colors.

Description by Artist:     No description available

Notes from DaVic Gallery:    Tati’s main source of traditional knowledge among his people was his maternal uncle (MoMoMoSiSo), Rufus Watts, who Tait called “grandfather”.  Watts was raised as a storyteller but buried much of what he knew when the old Nisga’a ways lost their importance in the early middle part of the century. At about 50 years of age, Watts’ early learnings began surfacing in his consciousness and he watched out for an appropriate carrier for the Nisga’a tradition he knew.  He found a nephew, Norman Tait, who described Watts on his search:  “Most your people were not interested just to hold on, to keep it going. He felt around and felt around until he found out who was interested. It was only then that he threw out the anchor and said, ‘this is it, this where I pass it on.  I found the guy to take it’ — and that happened to be me.

Tait spent hours listening to Watts remembering his early days when there was an active Nisga’a ceremonial life. “ — Big Beaver, The Celebration of a  Contemporary Totem Pole by Norman Tait, by Lizanne Fisher