The doctrine of honesty is the foundation
of law for the cultures of the Gitxsan and Wet’suwet’en tribes of northern British Columbia, Canada.
An ancient culture, it is not surprising that
these tribes produce good native artists. One of them is Robert E Sebastian.
Sebastian
of the White Wolf Clan, House of Spookx was born in 1952. The moon of falling leaves, October 25, Hazelton was a river of
native art. Life in Hazelton was for the strong. If you worked hard you lived well. This is his engine. Canadian culture is
a brutal pace today, that only excites Robert.
Sebastian’s native name is, Gwin-Jakwsxw, meaning, dying to kill
something.
The
Sebastian pallet has touched worldly collections including that of the British Royal Family, with the largest of these collections,
being at the University of Victoria, Maltwood Museum. In 1981 Gwin-Jakwsxw broke bread with the then Governor General of
Canada, Edward Schreyer, His Excellency Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. As well he has appeared
with Fergie Jenkins, Donald Sutherland, the Vancouver Canucks, the Montreal Expos and the Japanese National Hockey Team at
events where presentations of his works were the highlights of the days activities.
Here is the start of YOU, walking on the ancient breath
of his grandparents, Welcome! Enjoy! Make your walls happy!
In 1982 he travelled to Adelaide, Australia to dance before representatives of 144 countries for a United Nations Museum’s
conference. He has also danced in Kansas City, Missouri, Ottawa and Montreal as part of the touring ‘Ksan native dance group.
Robert
danced for the Ksan Dancers for fifteen years. He now leads a native dance group called the Gitxsan All Clans Dancers.
A journalist, outdoorsman, painter, jeweller, dancer and
role model he finds the Canadian landscape and wildlife a Mecca for his: paintbrush, pen and camera.
The contemporary image’s he paints give: animals
movement, birds fly, people sing and mosquitoes dance. He calls his creative process, ‘looking at today’s world
through thousand-year-old eyes’. He has produced over 120 editions of limited edition prints, averaging 100 prints per
edition, which continue to rise in value year after year. As well he produces original paintings, carved plaques, scaled drawings
and large carved commissions.
Recently Sebastian twined with his older brother, Ronald
Sebastian, a master carver and assisted him in doing an Estate Totem pole that sits on the outskirts of London, England.
A special highlight in Robert’s career came
with a supporting role in the made for Television documentary, The Newcomers commissioned by Esso of Canada. More recently
a Mountain Ram print was chosen by Monty Basset in his newly released documentary, “Sheep of stone”, for
Discovery Channel.
The City of Prince George is his home away from home. A city that has presented
his prints to the Mayors of: Aomori and Sapporo in Japan; Lulea and Kiruna in Sweden and Teipei, Taiwan. A city, where he helped start the Native centre, first did radio and climbed an International
ladder that helps him look in every direction, as his forefathers did.
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