Jessica Crabtree

I’ve finally finished my portrait of this Lummi woman. She’ll be up on my Gallery soon.

Lummi, 16×20

JESSICA CRABTREE NATIVE AMERICAN PORTRAITS & WILDLIFE: Lummi

The Lummi nation is part of the Salish family of peoples of what is today Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia, where they have lived for millennia as hunter-gatherers. Lummi people are renowned fishermen and have developed many ingenious and efficient methods for catching salmon, their staple food. Using the raw materials abundant in the coastal forests of the Pacific Northwest they are also expert woodcarvers and basketweavers.

Their society traditionally revolved around small autonomous communities where extended families lived in longhouses constructed from native red cedar. Communities were tightly knit and often gathered to share goods and ceremonies in the legendary festivals known as potlachs – a custom which has continued even to this day.

Here’s a preview of one of my latest projects – Lummi, 16×20. More coming soon!