Based in Seattle and owned by the indigenous Snoqualmie tribe, Eighth Generation collaborates with Native artists throughout the country to promote the creation of community-based indigenous art.

The Fine Art Print series features original designs printed on archival paper. Known as giclée (pronounced “Zhe-Clay”), these large-format images realize vivid life on acid-free paper, which resists degradation better than regular paper: “When displayed out of direct sunlight, they’ll maintain their color saturation and fine detail for decades.”

“Black Sheep (top),” is Nooksack tribe member Louis Gong’s depiction of processing past experiences. The sheep’s body is composed of Gong’s signature Wolf’s Mouth motif, a dynamic and loosely-painted element that evokes changeability, while the head is a precise Salish design that symbolizes self-confidence in the face of challenge. From Snoqualmie tribe member Bethany Fackrell, “Deer and Transformer” and “Deer’s Dance” celebrate the central role of this powerful animal in Snoqualmie culture and lore. The former recounts how Deer confronted the sun in order to protect the earth, facilitating the sun’s transformation into the moon, while the latter depicts the seasonal rut, “a brutal but necessary dance that results in the tender newborn fawns of the following spring.”

Lastly, “Otter Friend” offers a synergy between traditional Piikani/Blackfeet art and graphical elements. Based on the craft of “ledger” art, in which captured Plains Warriors drew on old government ledgers given to them in a Florida penitentiary, this form was historically used to draw battles, horse raids, and other stories on ledger paper from accounting books, receipts, certificates, and sometimes even currency.

Composed on antique ledger paper from Montana, Otter Friend is the work of John Isaiah Pepion: “Otters are sacred to the Blackfoot People,” says John, “I love their playfulness, and seeing them on the water is really special.”

Find out more at Eighth Generation.