Freda Diesing
Encyclopedia
Freda Diesing was one of very few female carvers of Northwest Coast totem poles and a member of the Haida First Nation of British Columbia
, Canada.
She was born in Prince Rupert, B.C.
, in 1925 and was one of the first students at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art ('Ksan) at Hazelton, B.C.
, in Gitksan territory. There she received instruction from the art historian Bill Holm
, and the First Nations artists Tony Hunt
(Kwakwaka'wakw
) and Robert Davidson
(Haida). She has carved masks and bowls as well as totem poles.
Her poles include two poles raised at the Tsimshian
community of Kitsumkalum
near Terrace, B.C.
, with the assistance of a Tsimshian team, a 1987 pole for the RCMP
station in Terrace, and poles in Prince Rupert.
Her students include many of the most acclaimed artist working today: Dempsey Bob
, Nathaniel P. Wilkerson
, Norman Tait
, her nephew Don Yeomans, and many others. She lived in Terrace in her later years, and can be credited with instructing numerous students throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Freda Diesing has received many honors and awards. She was recognized by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
who awarded her the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in Winnipeg
in March 2002. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Northern British Columbia
in May 2002. In 2006, Northwest Community College
created the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art
, located in Terrace, B.C. and named in her honor.
British 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...
, Canada.
She was born in Prince Rupert, B.C.
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast, and home to some 12,815 people .-History:...
, in 1925 and was one of the first students at the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art ('Ksan) at Hazelton, B.C.
Hazelton, British Columbia
Hazelton is a small town located at the junction of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers in northern British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1866 and has a population of 293...
, in Gitksan territory. There she received instruction from the art historian Bill Holm
Bill Holm (art historian)
Bill Holm is a U.S. artist, author and art historian specializing in the visual arts of Northwest Coast Native Americans as well as a practitioner and teacher of the Northwest Coast art style...
, and the First Nations artists Tony Hunt
Tony Hunt (artist)
Tony Hunt is a Canadian First Nations artist of Kwakwaka'wakw ancestry noted for his work carving totem poles.He was born in 1942 at the Kwakwaka'wakw community of Alert Bay, British Columbia. He received early training from his maternal grandfather Mungo Martin...
(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...
) and Robert Davidson
Robert Davidson (artist)
Robert Charles Davidson, CM, OBC , is a Canadian artist of Haida heritage. His specialties are in carving , sculpture and painting....
(Haida). She has carved masks and bowls as well as totem poles.
Her poles include two poles raised at the Tsimshian
Tsimshian
The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Tsimshian translates to Inside the Skeena River. Their communities are in British Columbia and Alaska, around Terrace and Prince Rupert and the southernmost corner of Alaska on Annette Island. There are approximately 10,000...
community of Kitsumkalum
Kitsumkalum
Kitsumkalum is one of the 14 bands of the Tsimshian nation of British Columbia, Canada, and is also the name of their Indian Reserve just west of the city of Terrace, British Columbia, where the Kitsumkalum River flows into the Skeena River...
near Terrace, B.C.
Terrace, British Columbia
Terrace is a city on the Skeena River in British Columbia, Canada. The Kitselas people, a tribe of the Tsimshian Nation, have lived in the Terrace area for thousands of years. The community population fell between 2001 and 2006 from 12,109 with a regional population of 19,980 to 11,320 and...
, with the assistance of a Tsimshian team, a 1987 pole for the RCMP
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
station in Terrace, and poles in Prince Rupert.
Her students include many of the most acclaimed artist working today: Dempsey Bob
Dempsey Bob
Dempsey Bob is a Northwest Coast carver from British Columbia, Canada, who is of Tahltan and Tlingit First Nations descent. He was born in the Tahltan village of Telegraph Creek on the Stikine River in northwestern B.C., and is of the Wolf clan....
, Nathaniel P. Wilkerson
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson
Nathaniel P. Wilkerson is a Canadian artist from the Gitksan First Nation in northwestern British Columbia, Canada. He is a member of the House of Amagyet, a Laxgibuu house....
, Norman Tait
Norman Tait
Norman Tait is a Canadian First Nations artist and totem pole carver from the Nisga'a nation of northwestern British Columbia.He was born in Kincolith on the Nass River in B.C., the son of Josiah Tait, also a carver and the great-grandson of Chief Alfred Watson Mountain, Sganism Sim'oogit.He is a...
, her nephew Don Yeomans, and many others. She lived in Terrace in her later years, and can be credited with instructing numerous students throughout the Pacific Northwest.
Freda Diesing has received many honors and awards. She was recognized by the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation
The National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation is a nationally registered non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds to deliver programs that provide the tools necessary for Aboriginal peoples in Canada, especially youth to achieve their potential.-About:To date the Foundation through its...
who awarded her the National Aboriginal Achievement Award in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
in March 2002. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Northern British Columbia
University of Northern British Columbia
The University of Northern British Columbia is a small, primarily undergraduate university whose main campus is in Prince George, British Columbia. UNBC also has regional campuses in the northern British Columbia cities of Prince Rupert, Terrace, Quesnel, and Fort St. John...
in May 2002. In 2006, Northwest Community College
Northwest Community College
Northwest Community College is a post-secondary educational institution that serves the residents of northwest British Columbia. NWCC was first established in Terrace in 1975..-Campus:...
created the Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art
Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art
Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art is a progressive art school focusing on the "Northern Style" of the Northwest Coast Art. The school is located on the Northwest Community College Campus in Terrace, BC; Canada...
, located in Terrace, B.C. and named in her honor.
Sources
- 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.
- Stewart, Hilary (1993) Looking at Totem Poles. Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre.