Totem Pole Carver Emeritus: NATHAN JACKSON
Nathan Jackson is perhaps the most prolific carver of totem poles of any living Northwest Coast artist, having done over 80 of them. On at least 50 of these, he’s credited as being the lead or master carver. Born in 1938 in Southeastern Alaska, Jackson’s of the Sockeye Clan, Raven side of the Chilkoot Tlingit tribe.
Jackson learned from his clan uncle and grandfather, Jack David. “He instilled in me a desire for fishing, and fishing was one of the things that I learned, and he taught me all that I know as a fisherman.” Additionally, Jack David taught him tribal ways to include the many songs of their people, which is another thing Jackson is known for, being a traditional dancer and singer.
Art is integral to the Tlingit social system, which is made up of clans. Design motifs of Tlingit art are typically generated from clan crests such as Raven, Eagle, Killer Whale and Beaver. Other designs come from traditional stories. For one to be an accomplished traditional carver, that person must know the meanings of these symbols and stories. A totem carver also must know the protocol involved in commissioning, carving and then raising a totem pole.
“Tradition is something that most people say is identity,” Jackson says. “So, the traditional way of life is something I identify with in the sense that it’s pretty hard to change those things that are deeply imbedded.”
Jackson completed his military service in 1959 while in Germany and shortly thereafter started carving miniature totem poles while recovering from a bout with pneumonia. Discovering that he had a talent for carving and painting, he attended the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in the early 1960s.
Jackson met Northwest carver Duane Pasco who inspired him to begin using the adze in carving large pieces. His work eventually included large totem poles, wood panel clan crests, masks, canoes, carved doors and small items such as formline bracelets in silver and gold.
Willing to share his work with others who wish to learn Tlingit traditions, Jackson has taught apprentices through the Alaska State Council on the Arts’ Master Artist and Apprenticeship Program and has offered workshops or demonstrations on many occasions throughout Alaska and the Northwest. He’s also represented the state of Alaska at numerous festivals around the nation.
“I can’t say much for myself,” Jackson says. “I try to perfect my work and improve as I go along. My aim is to continue working and continue spreading my reputation as a carver and as an artist—as would a person who has any type of job.”
Some of the places his totem poles can be found are the National Museum of the American Indian, the Field Museum in Chicago, Harvard University’s Peabody Museum, Juneau’s Centennial Hall, Juneau’s Sealaska Heritage, Totem Bight State Historical Park, the Alaska Native Heritage Center and the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan, as well as museums in Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland and Japan.
Jackson’s honors include being one of 12 recipients of a National Endowment for the Arts Heritage Fellowship award in 1995, the nation’s highest honor in traditional arts. In 2009, Jackson was honored as the Rasmuson Foundation’s Distinguished Artist of the Year. In recognition of his lifelong work as a carver, the University of Alaska, Southeast awarded him an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities in 1988.