Plateau Indian Art (Photo Diary)

Since the beginning of time, according to tribal oral traditions, the people have lived along the Columbia River and its tributaries in the Columbia Plateau. Among traditional American Indian people “art” was not a concept distinct from everyday life. Art was simply incorporated into the things people made as a way of enhancing their aesthetic appeal for both humans and spirits. Shown below are some of the Plateau Indian artifacts which are displayed by the Portland Art Museum.

Prehistoric

American Indian people had occupied the Plateau region for many thousands of years before the European invasion begin in the nineteenth century.

Shown above is an ancient ancestral figure which has been carved into basalt. Shown above is a prehistoric bowl carved in the image of a bighorn sheep. Shown above is a prehistoric bowl carved from basalt in the image of a condor. Shown above is a prehistoric bowl carved from basalt in the image of a rattlesnake. Shown above is a prehistoric anthropomorphic figure made from basalt. Shown above is a prehistoric anthropomorphic figure made from basalt. Shown above is a prehistoric anthropomorphic figure made from basalt.

Historic

The historic period in the Plateau region began with the European invasion in the nineteenth century and with the explorers, fur traders, and missionaries recording their observations about the people they encountered. In the historic period, the Plateau artists began incorporating new materials and designs into their work and to make items for sale in Euro-American markets.

Shown above is a Wasco ladle from the early 19^th century. Shown above is a Wasco mortar from the early 19^th century. It was made from cedar. Shown above is a Wasco bowl made from mountain sheep horn. This dates to the first half of the 19^th century. Shown above is a Chinook bowl made from mountain sheep horn in the first half of the 19^th century.