Name Delores Churchill Role Artist | Parents Selina Peratrovich | |
 | ||
Delores churchill on tsimshian and tlingit weaving
Delores E. Churchill is a Native American artist of Haida descent. She is a weaver of baskets, hats, robes, and other regalia, as well as leading revitalization efforts for Haida, her native language.
Contents
- Delores churchill on tsimshian and tlingit weaving
- Background
- Artwork
- Efforts To Revitalize The Haida Language
- Honors and Awards
- References
Background
Churchill was born in Masset, Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada in 1929. As a girl, she attended schools that forced her to speak English in place of her native tongue, a typical practice of that time period. She first studied traditional Haida weaving with her mother, Selina Peratrovich, who is also a nationally recognized master weaver. She went on to study traditional Tsimshian weaving from masters Flora Matthew and Brenda White. Churchill further studied at the British Musum and relearned the six-strand weave. After retiring from a bookkeeping career and raising her family, Churchill turned her attention back to basketry at a time when Haida basket weaving was in serious decline as an art form among younger members of the tribe.
Artwork
Churchill is known for her utilitarian and ceremonial objects that often use spruce root, cedar bark, wool, and natural dyes. Some of her artwork is displayed at the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan, Alaska, where she has also taught courses in basketry.
Efforts To Revitalize The Haida Language
As one of the few remaining native speakers of Haida, Churchill has been attempting to maintain her linguistic heritage. This has been difficult for her, however, as her native tongue has been largely suppressed and supplanted with English. Like many Native Americans of her generation, Churchill was forced by her teachers in the Canadian residential school she attended as a child to speak English and was punished for speaking her native language. These schools, and their American equivalents were part of the Government's attempt to integrate Natives into the mainstream white culture. Many Native families also believed that sending their children to schools such as these would help them be more successful, at the cost of their language and culture. Despite these difficulties, Churchill has remained adamant in her need to preserve her native language and frequently works with Haida children, as well as assisting the revitalization efforts of her daughter, April.
Honors and Awards
Churchill is the recipient of numerous awards, including:
