"Takaya" by Elizabeth Chapman
This is a piece of wearable art beadwork made from: antique, vintage and contemporary glass beads, copper beads, turquoise beads, wolf willow seed beads, arbutus berry beads and devils club beads on a base of beading foundation backed with deer hide. The medallion measures 10 cm in diameter and the strand of beads is 92 cm in length.
Artist Bio
My name is Elizabeth Chapman. I live on Denman Island, BC Canada.
Artist Statement
I read about Takaya in a newspaper article a couple of years ago, and was captivated by his story. It was reassuring to know, that although conservation officers had tried to trap and remove Takaya, the Songhees Band Council had said that he should be left undisturbed. When Cheryl's amazing documentary aired, I was once again struck by the beauty and mystery of Takaya's life alone on Discovery island, so close to the city. I am grateful to Cheryl for giving us an intimate look at Takaya’s life and look forward to her book.
I chose to honour Takaya because I was deeply touched by his life and untimely death. I chose beadwork as my medium because I am Metis, and beading is one of my favourite forms of expression, as well as a way of honouring the artistic traditions of my ancestors. I enjoy working with both glass and semi-precious beads as well as creating jewelry using copper and sterling silver. My Metis inspired jewelry line is called Made Beaver which references the unit of trade used by the Hudsons Bay Company during the fur trade.
I have used glass, gemstone and copper beads in this piece. I have also included beads made from some of the plants that grow on Discovery island and in BC (arbutus berry and devils club) as well as beads made from the seeds of the aptly named “wolf willow”, a plant native to the prairie provinces where I grew up. Wolf willow beads have a long history of use by the indigenous people of the prairies.
This is a piece of wearable art beadwork made from: antique, vintage and contemporary glass beads, copper beads, turquoise beads, wolf willow seed beads, arbutus berry beads and devils club beads on a base of beading foundation backed with deer hide. The medallion measures 10 cm in diameter and the strand of beads is 92 cm in length.
Artist Bio
My name is Elizabeth Chapman. I live on Denman Island, BC Canada.
Artist Statement
I read about Takaya in a newspaper article a couple of years ago, and was captivated by his story. It was reassuring to know, that although conservation officers had tried to trap and remove Takaya, the Songhees Band Council had said that he should be left undisturbed. When Cheryl's amazing documentary aired, I was once again struck by the beauty and mystery of Takaya's life alone on Discovery island, so close to the city. I am grateful to Cheryl for giving us an intimate look at Takaya’s life and look forward to her book.
I chose to honour Takaya because I was deeply touched by his life and untimely death. I chose beadwork as my medium because I am Metis, and beading is one of my favourite forms of expression, as well as a way of honouring the artistic traditions of my ancestors. I enjoy working with both glass and semi-precious beads as well as creating jewelry using copper and sterling silver. My Metis inspired jewelry line is called Made Beaver which references the unit of trade used by the Hudsons Bay Company during the fur trade.
I have used glass, gemstone and copper beads in this piece. I have also included beads made from some of the plants that grow on Discovery island and in BC (arbutus berry and devils club) as well as beads made from the seeds of the aptly named “wolf willow”, a plant native to the prairie provinces where I grew up. Wolf willow beads have a long history of use by the indigenous people of the prairies.
This is a piece of wearable art beadwork made from: antique, vintage and contemporary glass beads, copper beads, turquoise beads, wolf willow seed beads, arbutus berry beads and devils club beads on a base of beading foundation backed with deer hide. The medallion measures 10 cm in diameter and the strand of beads is 92 cm in length.
Artist Bio
My name is Elizabeth Chapman. I live on Denman Island, BC Canada.
Artist Statement
I read about Takaya in a newspaper article a couple of years ago, and was captivated by his story. It was reassuring to know, that although conservation officers had tried to trap and remove Takaya, the Songhees Band Council had said that he should be left undisturbed. When Cheryl's amazing documentary aired, I was once again struck by the beauty and mystery of Takaya's life alone on Discovery island, so close to the city. I am grateful to Cheryl for giving us an intimate look at Takaya’s life and look forward to her book.
I chose to honour Takaya because I was deeply touched by his life and untimely death. I chose beadwork as my medium because I am Metis, and beading is one of my favourite forms of expression, as well as a way of honouring the artistic traditions of my ancestors. I enjoy working with both glass and semi-precious beads as well as creating jewelry using copper and sterling silver. My Metis inspired jewelry line is called Made Beaver which references the unit of trade used by the Hudsons Bay Company during the fur trade.
I have used glass, gemstone and copper beads in this piece. I have also included beads made from some of the plants that grow on Discovery island and in BC (arbutus berry and devils club) as well as beads made from the seeds of the aptly named “wolf willow”, a plant native to the prairie provinces where I grew up. Wolf willow beads have a long history of use by the indigenous people of the prairies.