Mungo Martin
Encyclopedia
Chief Mungo Martin or Nakapenkem (lit. Potlatch chief "ten times over"), Datsa (lit. "grandfather"), was an important figure in Northwest Coast style
art, specifically that of the Kwakwaka'wakw
peoples. He was a major contributor to Kwakwaka'wakw art, especially in the realm of wood sculpture
and painting. He was also known as a singer and songwriter.
, to parents of the Kwakwaka'wakw
Nation. He was the son of Yaxnukwelas, a high ranking native from Gilford Island
. His mother was Q'omiga, also known by her English name, Sarah Finlay, who was the daughter of a Kwakwaka'wakw woman and a Scottish
man working with the Hudson's Bay Company
. Martin's father died when he was in his teen years, his mother remarried to Yakuglas, also known in English as Charlie James. Martin's mother wanted him to become a woodcarver, and song maker and held rituals to ensure this future.
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 design, carving, and painting and life-long song making. Martin was raised in the potlatch
tradition practiced by the Kwakwaka'wakw, and all aspects of Kwakwaka'wakw culture.
Martin was a promoter of the culture in his later years, convening with other noted artists, such as Tom Omhid, Willie Seaweed
and Dan Cranmer, in order to prepare novices for Kwakwaka'wakw ceremonies.
Martin became a commercial fisherman at one point, to support himself financially.
He would later marry Abayah Martin, also an artist, who specialized in weaving ceremonial curtains and aprons.
All his life Martin made songs, sang them and recorded them with the Hawthornes and others. He had an interest in music in general and in folksong, and would sing songs from other tribes such as the Navajo
he learned from his relative Bob Harris who met many people at the Chicago World Exhibition and even Japanese
folk songs he learned from other Kwakwaka'wakw who had sailed to Japan on sealing
vessels.
_a_kwakwakawakw_big_house.jpg)
As a boy Martin had been apprenticed as a carver to a paternal uncle, but it was Martin's stepfather Charlie James, a famous Northwestern artist, who was his principle influence in honing a natural talent. 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 commissioned 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 1885. For this, he was awarded with a medal by the Canadian Council.
In 1947, Martin was hired by the Museum of Anthropology at UBC for restoration and replica work. During this time, Martin lived on the university campus, and continued to paint and carve small works during the night.
Later, 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. He also constructed Wawadit'la, a Kwakwaka'wakw "big house", at Thunderbird Park
in front of the museum. During this time he and American anthropologist Bill Holm became fast friends and Martin designed a Kwak'waka'wakw big house on the coast in Washington State.
When Martin went to work for the museum in Victoria, his son David and his family, and relatives Henry and Helen Hunt(Helen was Martin's wife's granddaughter) and their family joined him in living in James Bay near Thunderbird Park and the focus of the work to be done. His son David, and Henry Hunt, and even Henry's son Tony who was only twelve when the families engaged in this undertaking, became apprentices. Martin trained his son David in his craft but David died in 1959. Henry's sons Stanley Hunt and Richard Hunt are also professional carvers.
It's rumoured Martin also instructed the famed Haida sculptor Bill Reid
although it's more likely they spent time together on some project at MOA at U.B.C. and the association was then a limited one. Doug Cranmer, who became an artist of some considerable note, a unique approach to his craft added to his knowledge of things traditional placing him permanently on a level of talent Mungo would be proud of, spent time with his old relative too; Doug was the grandson of Martin's wife Abaya'a, and was the son of Martin's first cousin, and so brother, Dan Cranmer.
Martin was significant in the Northwest Coastal Art scene for his vast amount of work and actual sculpting.
He died in 1962 at the age of 83 in Victoria and was taken on a Canadian Navy ship to be buried in Alert Bay. His wife Abaya'a died in the following year.
Northwest Coast art
Northwest Coast art is the term commonly applied to a style of art created primarily by artists from Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Kwakwaka'wakw, Nuu-chah-nulth and other First Nations and Native American tribes of the Northwest Coast of North America, from pre-European-contact times up to the...
art, specifically that of the Kwakwaka'wakw
Kwakwaka'wakw
The Kwakwaka'wakw are an Indigenous group of First Nations peoples, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the adjoining mainland and islands.Kwakwaka'wakw translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nations within the area that...
peoples. He was a major contributor to Kwakwaka'wakw art, especially in the realm of wood sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
and painting. He was also known as a singer and songwriter.
Personal life
Martin was born in 1879 in Fort Rupert, British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, to parents of the Kwakwaka'wakw
Kwakwaka'wakw
The Kwakwaka'wakw are an Indigenous group of First Nations peoples, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the adjoining mainland and islands.Kwakwaka'wakw translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nations within the area that...
Nation. He was the son of Yaxnukwelas, a high ranking native from Gilford Island
Gilford Island
Gilford Island is an island in British Columbia, Canada, located between Tribune Channel and Knight Inlet. The island has an area of and a historic indigenous community of the Kwakwaka'wakw people called Gwayasdums or Gwa'yasdams.-References:**...
. His mother was Q'omiga, also known by her English name, Sarah Finlay, who was the daughter of a Kwakwaka'wakw woman and a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
man working with the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. Martin's father died when he was in his teen years, his mother remarried to Yakuglas, also known in English as Charlie James. Martin's mother wanted him to become a woodcarver, and song maker and held rituals to ensure this future.
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 design, carving, and painting and life-long song making. Martin was raised in the potlatch
Potlatch
A potlatch is a gift-giving festival and primary economic system practiced by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States. This includes Heiltsuk Nation, Haida, Nuxalk, Tlingit, Makah, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Coast Salish cultures...
tradition practiced by the Kwakwaka'wakw, and all aspects of Kwakwaka'wakw culture.
Martin was a promoter of the culture in his later years, convening with other noted artists, such as Tom Omhid, Willie Seaweed
Willie Seaweed
-Early life:Kwakwaka'wakw carver Willie Seaweed was born in 1893 at Blunden Harbour, British Columbia, where he lived until his death in 1967. Both his parents came from chiefly lines and so as chief of the Nakwaktokw band, Seaweed was called Heyhlamas or Rights Maker. His informal name was...
and Dan Cranmer, in order to prepare novices for Kwakwaka'wakw ceremonies.
Martin became a commercial fisherman at one point, to support himself financially.
He would later marry Abayah Martin, also an artist, who specialized in weaving ceremonial curtains and aprons.
All his life Martin made songs, sang them and recorded them with the Hawthornes and others. He had an interest in music in general and in folksong, and would sing songs from other tribes such as the Navajo
Navajo people
The Navajo of the Southwestern United States are the largest single federally recognized tribe of the United States of America. The Navajo Nation has 300,048 enrolled tribal members. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the...
he learned from his relative Bob Harris who met many people at the Chicago World Exhibition and even Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
folk songs he learned from other Kwakwaka'wakw who had sailed to Japan on sealing
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
vessels.
Professional life
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
styles. He carved his first commissioned 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
Potlatch
A potlatch is a gift-giving festival and primary economic system practiced by indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and United States. This includes Heiltsuk Nation, Haida, Nuxalk, Tlingit, Makah, Tsimshian, Nuu-chah-nulth, Kwakwaka'wakw, and Coast Salish cultures...
since the governmental potlatch ban of 1885. For this, he was awarded with a medal by the Canadian Council.
In 1947, Martin was hired by the Museum of Anthropology at UBC for restoration and replica work. During this time, Martin lived on the university campus, and continued to paint and carve small works during the night.
Later, Martin was hired in 1952 by the Royal British Columbia Museum
Royal British Columbia Museum
The Royal British Columbia Museum is a natural history and human history museum in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, founded in 1886. The "Royal" title was approved by Queen Elizabeth II and bestowed by HRH Prince Philip in 1987, to coincide with a Royal tour that year...
in Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
to create works of Northwest Coastal Art as display pieces and examples. The final result was a huge totem pole
Totem pole
Totem poles are monumental sculptures carved from large trees, mostly Western Red Cedar, by cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America...
, carved out of cedar, standing 160 feet tall. It was raised in 1956 and remained standing until 2000. He also constructed Wawadit'la, a Kwakwaka'wakw "big house", at Thunderbird Park
Thunderbird Park
Thunderbird Park is a park in Victoria, British Columbia next to the Royal British Columbia Museum. The park is home to many totem poles and other First Nations monuments...
in front of the museum. During this time he and American anthropologist Bill Holm became fast friends and Martin designed a Kwak'waka'wakw big house on the coast in Washington State.
When Martin went to work for the museum in Victoria, his son David and his family, and relatives Henry and Helen Hunt(Helen was Martin's wife's granddaughter) and their family joined him in living in James Bay near Thunderbird Park and the focus of the work to be done. His son David, and Henry Hunt, and even Henry's son Tony who was only twelve when the families engaged in this undertaking, became apprentices. Martin trained his son David in his craft but David died in 1959. Henry's sons Stanley Hunt and Richard Hunt are also professional carvers.
It's rumoured Martin also instructed the famed Haida sculptor Bill Reid
Bill Reid
William Ronald Reid, OBC was a Canadian artist whose works included jewelry, sculpture, screen-printing, and painting. His work is featured on the Canadian $20 banknote.-Biography:...
although it's more likely they spent time together on some project at MOA at U.B.C. and the association was then a limited one. Doug Cranmer, who became an artist of some considerable note, a unique approach to his craft added to his knowledge of things traditional placing him permanently on a level of talent Mungo would be proud of, spent time with his old relative too; Doug was the grandson of Martin's wife Abaya'a, and was the son of Martin's first cousin, and so brother, Dan Cranmer.
Later work and death
Mungo Martin continued to work on his carvings in his later years.Martin was significant in the Northwest Coastal Art scene for his vast amount of work and actual sculpting.
He died in 1962 at the age of 83 in Victoria and was taken on a Canadian Navy ship to be buried in Alert Bay. His wife Abaya'a died in the following year.