Cedar: Tree of Life to the Northwest Coast Indians

E. Leigh Syms was Curator of Archaeology at the Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, Winnipeg.

Another of Hilary Stewart’s excellent books on the traditional life of Northwest Coast Natives! Following an introduction of a botanical overview of the cedar, the author demonstrates how the cedar plays a fundamental role in Native cultural developments. Using 550 drawings, 50 photographs (many of them rare archival specimens), and a clear, easily readable writing style, Hilary Stewart portrays the use and importance of cedar in a clear and vivid manner. Her step-by-step, illustrated descriptions of basketry, woodcarving, box-making, rope work, canoe and house building, totem-pole and figure carving, manufacturing of everyday utilitarian items, carving of a variety of religious items, and other technologies that utilize the cedar enable the reader to relate to the activities and the people.

Despite the phenomenal detail that is presented, the work never becomes boring or stultifying because much of the detail is presented in drawings. These are simple line-drawings that show various aspects of a particular use of cedar in all stages and from a number of different perspectives. The text is clear, straightforward, and interesting; she has the rare ability to incorporate detail without bogging down in the detail.

This work is clearly necessary for anyone who is interested in the life and art of the Northwest Coast Indian. It is an important reference for anyone interested in traditional material culture of any of the North American Indian peoples and even for many Native groups in other parts of the world. It will also be an important library acquisition for those who work with their hands in a variety of activities such as basketry or woodcarving.