Ellen Neel - the First Female Northwest coast Native carver
1916 - 1966

Ellen Neel totem pole at Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC. 

 This iconic totem pole has been published and reproduced so many times over the years, that it has come to be symbolic of Vancouver.

 Ellen’s totem pole stands in the foreground, as a Kwakiutl ceremony takes place. The totem pole to the left is a copy of a Charlie James piece.

 Detail of Ellen Neel totem pole: Thunderbird, grizzly bear with an orca in his mouth.

 Detail of Ellen Neel totem pole: Dzonkwa (Wild woman of the woods) and Hawk.

 A former client of Ellen Neel, visits David’s studio with an excellent example of his grandmother’s carving. This model totem pole features: Thunderbird, Grizzly Bear and Orca. These are the main crests of the Neel family.

A Dzonokwa (Wild woman of the woods) figure, now in the collection of the UBC Museum of Anthropology. 

 This grizzly bear hand puppet, was carved by Ellen for baby grandson, David Neel, in about 1960. The grizzly bear is a recurring theme in Ellen’s work, as it is one of her family crests, from the tribe’s creation legend.

 A totem pole by Ellen, installed at the University of British Columbia.

A Dzonkwa mask exhibited at the National Gallery of Canada. In the background is jewellery by Bill Reid. 

A banner, for the exhibition: Art of the Land, featuring an Ellen Neel mask on the exterior of the National Gallery of Canada. 

 A Sun Mask, painted in Ellen’s personal style. It is often commented that her painting is the strongest aspect of her work. 

Ellen Neel is carving a cedar panel in Vancouver, in the 1950s. There were not many Native artists during her time, and she was the first female Native carver, so she was often photographed for newspapers. 

 In 1979 the Canadian Mint (Ellen, check actual name) honored Ellen by releasing a one dollar coin with her likeness in traditional regalia, with her ancestral and English names: a high honor for any artist, and recognition of her artistic contribution.

A creation legend painting on a silk scarf, by Ellen Neel. Today, this is not unusual; many such products exist, but in her time, no one else was using traditional design in this way. 

This Raven design by Ellen Neel, is the first known example of silk-screen printing to be used by a Northwest coast Native artist. Prints of this type, released in limited editions, have become an important media for contemporary Nothwest coast Native artists.