Seal and Seal Lions

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Seal and Seal Lions

• Featuring the premiere of Natsilane
• and
• An interview with the two directors

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• Married to the daughter of the chief on Duke
  Island
• Accepted into the family for his seal hunter and
  spear carver skills

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• Only won the admiration of the youngest brother,
  but provoked the jealousy of the older brothers
• Thus plotting revenge on Natsilane

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• On the day of the big hunt, Natsilane and
  brothers go hunting
• Despite bad weather, Natsilane is determined to
  hunt
• Older brothers, ignoring the objections of the
  youngest, abandoned Natsilane

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• Met a man-like sea lion, who asked Natsilane to
  help his wounded son
• Recognized his spear embedded in the sea lions
  body and removed it
• The sea lion chief granted him greater skills

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• Planned revenge against his older brothers who
  betrayed him
• Carved a large black fish with his new skills
• The killer whale was animated when in water

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• Whale drowned the older brothers and spared the
  youngest
• Youngest brother spreads word of the treachery

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• Villagers found that the whale brought them fresh
  seals
• Realized that the killer whale was trained by
  Natsilane, as a gift to the village
• Natsilane became a legend

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Information on Motifs

• Seal
• Important to family ? main source of oil and food
  at feasts
• Flippers minimally defined because rarely used in
  swimming

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• Sea Lion
• Important in Northwest Coast People culture
• Was mentioned in the creation myth

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• Utilities
• Potlatch dish, inherited privilege from ancestors
• Served plentiful food
• Carving relates to consumption of food
• Abalone or shell encrusted bowls reserved for
  chiefs

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• Sea lions long thick whiskers add an crown-like
  effect around chiefs headdress
• Seal skin as floats in whaling
• Tsimshian legend feeding seals to calm a
  atrocious, two-headed, self-propelled canoe

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