Florence Edenshaw Davidson (1896–1993) was a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
First Nations
First nations are indigenous settlers or bands.
First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to:
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*First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
artist from
Haida Gwaii
Haida Gwaii (; / , literally "Islands of the Haida people"), previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago located between off the British Columbia Coast, northern Pacific coast in the Canadian province of British Columbia ...
. She created basketry and
button blanket
A button blanket is wool blanket embellished with mother-of-pearl buttons, created by Northwest Coastal tribes, that is worn for ceremonial purposes.
"Ceremonial robes and their associated regalia have been among the most spectacular creatio ...
s and was a respected elder in her village of
Masset
Masset (; formerly Massett) is a village in the Haida Gwaii archipelago in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Masset Sound on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainl ...
,
Haida Gwaii
Haida Gwaii (; / , literally "Islands of the Haida people"), previously known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, is an archipelago located between off the British Columbia Coast, northern Pacific coast in the Canadian province of British Columbia ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
.
Early life
Florence Edenshaw was born in
Masset
Masset (; formerly Massett) is a village in the Haida Gwaii archipelago in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Masset Sound on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainl ...
on September 15, 1896, the daughter of the Haida artist
(Chief Idɨnsaw) and his wife
Isabella
Isabella may refer to:
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* Isabella (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Isabella (surname), including a list of people
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United States
* Isabella, Alabama, an unincorpo ...
(K'woiyəng). She was given the Haida name ''Jadał q'egəngá'' ("Story Maid"). As a child, she help her mother to sew
button blanket
A button blanket is wool blanket embellished with mother-of-pearl buttons, created by Northwest Coastal tribes, that is worn for ceremonial purposes.
"Ceremonial robes and their associated regalia have been among the most spectacular creatio ...
s.
She was of the Raven moiety, of the Y'akwə'lanas lineage, and of the Shark House (''Q'ad Nas''), with crests that included Shark, Two-Finned Killerwhale, and Brown Bear.
Personal life
She married Robert Davidson (1880–1969), a Haida, on February 23, 1911, and they had 13 children. Her daughter
Primrose Adams
Primrose Adams (1926 – January 2020) was a Canadian First Nations artist and member of the Raven Clan from the Haida nation. She wove hats and baskets in the Haida method and is most notable for her spruce root basketry, which involves working ...
, also an artist, received the
Creative Lifetime Achievement Award for First Nations' Art in 2011.
Career
Davidson became renowned for her blankets and for her spruce-root and cedar baskets.
In the 1960s she was consultant on Haida culture and Masset history to the writer
Christie Harris
Christie Lucy Harris, (November 21, 1907 – January 5, 2002) was a Canadian children's writer. She is best known for her portrayal of Haida First Nations culture in the 1966 novel '' Raven's Cry.''
Biography
Harris was born in Newark, New Je ...
, author of ''Raven's Cry.'' She was also a major consultant on
Haida language
Haida (', ', ', ') is the language of the Haida people, spoken in the Haida Gwaii archipelago off the coast of western Canada and on Prince of Wales Island in Alaska. An endangered language, Haida currently has 24 native speakers, though revit ...
to
John Enrico.
She became well known through her collaborative autobiography written with the anthropologist
Margaret B. Blackman, published in 1982.
Death and legacy
Davidson died December 13, 1993. Her artistic legacy continues with her grandsons, the brother
Reg Davidson
Reg Davidson (born 1954) is an Aboriginal Canadian carver and a member of the Haida band government.
He was born in 1954 at the Haida village of Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia. His parents are Claude and Vivian Davidson ...
and
Robert Davidson, who are woodcarvers and sculptors.
References
Further reading
*
Blackman, Margaret B. (1982; rev. ed., 1992) ''During My Time: Florence Edenshaw Davidson, a Haida Woman.'' Seattle: University of Washington Press.
*
Harris, Christie (1966) ''Raven's Cry.'' New York: Atheneum. (Revised edition, Vancouver, Douglas & McIntyre, 1992.)
* Jensen, Doreen, and Polly Sargent (1986) ''Robes of Power: Totem Poles on Cloth.'' Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press.
* Macnair, Peter L., Alan L. Hoover, and Kevin Neary (1984) ''The Legacy: Tradition and Innovation in Northwest Coast Indian Art.'' Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Florence
1896 births
1993 deaths
20th-century First Nations people
First Nations basket weavers
First Nations textile artists
Haida women artists
Haida artists
Canadian women basket weavers
Canadian basket weavers
20th-century Canadian women textile artists
First Nations women artists