Spirit Dancing in the Longhouse
Artist
Ronald Hilbert
MediumCarved, tight-grained and polychrome on cedar panels
Dimensionsa: 59 1/2 x 47 1/4 x 3 3/4 in. (151.1 x 120 x 9.5 cm)
b: 59 1/2 x 47 1/4 x 3 1/2 in. (151.1 x 120 x 8.9 cm)
c: 59 3/4 x 45 3/4 x 3 5/8 in. (151.8 x 116.2 x 9.2 cm)
d: 59 5/8 x 45 1/2 x 3 1/2 in. (151.4 x 115.6 x 8.9 cm)
e: 59 3/4 x 47 x 3 1/8 in. (151.8 x 119.4 x 7.9 cm)
ClassificationsCarving
Credit LineSeattle City Light 1% for Art funds
The five panels, created by Ronald Hilbert are entitled "Spirit Dancing in the Longhouse (Smokehouse)," 1989. Ron is a member of the Tulalip tribe in the Upper Skagit. Each panel represents a different aspect of the Skagit ritual dance ceremony. Hilbert himself dances in these ceremonies and brings an intimate knowledge of the ritual to his work. Since the ceremonial dancing is closed to those outside of the tribe, visual recognition of the figures' meaning is open only to members of the tribe.
Vi Hilbert, historian and mother of the artist said, "My son's art reflects the spirituality of our ancestral religion. The forms speak to those who are part of our culture. We are forbidden to detail an explanation to outsiders. The practice is private and knowledge and interpretation are within each individual carrying the responsibility of repeating that which is the sacred trust of our culture. Future generations, as always, will carry inherited information within family groups to be transmitted orally to be responsible carriers of this trust. This tradition has kept the strength of our spirituality a living force among our native American families, our people. Ron Hilbert’s art is a reminder that our sacred practices are alive and will live through the ages because we honor and respect the teachings passed down to us by our ancestors that our creator gave us access to a communion with the spirituality of the world.” Vi Hilbert, born in 1918 in Lyman, Washington, is a linguist, educator, and storyteller. She has devoted much of her life to the study, promotion and preservation of her childhood language, Lushootseed Salish, and the oral literature and culture of her people.
The artist was commissioned in 1989 through a Northwest Major Works Award/Seattle Arts Commission/Seattle City Light 1% for Art project for the City of Seattle. The panels were installed in the central gathering place of the Seattle Center’s Center House and Skagit elders blessed the work and the site with a traditional Native American ritual as part of the dedication ceremonies. Upon completion of the panels in 1989, Mayor Charles Royer dedicated the work to the memory of his friend Carl Petrick who passed away in November of 1988 while serving as director of the Seattle Arts Commission. Petrick’s background included both dance and an interest in Native American art and culture.
Hilbert is known for his works reflecting different Salish (Western Washington Indian culture) ceremonial dances. We've had this for centuries, although it was outlawed in the early 1900s by the Catholic Church, said Hilbert. I am proud to bring this culture to all people, Indian and non-Indian. I want everyone to see what we have, what our culture is about. Ours is a religion that is tolerant of all others. –Artist statement
Vi Hilbert, historian and mother of the artist said, "My son's art reflects the spirituality of our ancestral religion. The forms speak to those who are part of our culture. We are forbidden to detail an explanation to outsiders. The practice is private and knowledge and interpretation are within each individual carrying the responsibility of repeating that which is the sacred trust of our culture. Future generations, as always, will carry inherited information within family groups to be transmitted orally to be responsible carriers of this trust. This tradition has kept the strength of our spirituality a living force among our native American families, our people. Ron Hilbert’s art is a reminder that our sacred practices are alive and will live through the ages because we honor and respect the teachings passed down to us by our ancestors that our creator gave us access to a communion with the spirituality of the world.” Vi Hilbert, born in 1918 in Lyman, Washington, is a linguist, educator, and storyteller. She has devoted much of her life to the study, promotion and preservation of her childhood language, Lushootseed Salish, and the oral literature and culture of her people.
The artist was commissioned in 1989 through a Northwest Major Works Award/Seattle Arts Commission/Seattle City Light 1% for Art project for the City of Seattle. The panels were installed in the central gathering place of the Seattle Center’s Center House and Skagit elders blessed the work and the site with a traditional Native American ritual as part of the dedication ceremonies. Upon completion of the panels in 1989, Mayor Charles Royer dedicated the work to the memory of his friend Carl Petrick who passed away in November of 1988 while serving as director of the Seattle Arts Commission. Petrick’s background included both dance and an interest in Native American art and culture.
Hilbert is known for his works reflecting different Salish (Western Washington Indian culture) ceremonial dances. We've had this for centuries, although it was outlawed in the early 1900s by the Catholic Church, said Hilbert. I am proud to bring this culture to all people, Indian and non-Indian. I want everyone to see what we have, what our culture is about. Ours is a religion that is tolerant of all others. –Artist statement
Ronald Hilbert
