SALUTE TO YOUTH Dale Marie Campbell

Page 10

The legends of the Tahltan-Tlinget nation in Northwestern British Columbia has long stored the values, beliefs and mystiques of a people. Dale Marie Campbell, a carver of Tahltan-Tlinget ancestry, has captured that mystique in beautifully formed cedar masks and totem poles.

Dale, one of the few Native women carvers of the Northwest Coast, has studied her craft carefully and intensely. Since 1972, when she was first encouraged to study Indian art, she has been trained by master carver Dempsey Bob and also has studied silver smithing at the Vancouver Vocational Institute.

Dale was one for the 21 artists who participated in a ceremonial button blanket exhibition that opened at the Adelaide Festival Centre in Adelaide, Australia in May 1985. The theme was "Robes of Power - Totem Poles on Cloth." The exhibition came back to Vancouver in 1986 and was exhibited at the University of British Columbia Museum of Anthropology and was part of the city's centenary and Expo '86.

Additionally, her work has been exhibited in two major art shows entitled "Art of the Salmon People" and the"Indian Women Art Show." Also, Dale assisted in the carving of a 30-foot totem pole that was raised in front of the carving longhouse at the Museum of Northern British Columbia in Price Rupert.

Dale's reputation as an artist is growing and her carvings have been commissioned by private collectors in the United States, Canada and Japan. Her work is also shown in the publication "Indian Artists at Work."

Energy, creativity an discipline are essential to being a skilled career. Therefore, a life which combines Indian art and martial arts is very acceptable to Dale, who recently earned a first degree black belt in a karate.

She originally became interested "for the challenge" and now assists others in meeting the same challenge by instructing adult and children's karate classes in Prince Rupert.

Although now an instructor, Dale says that she has a long way to go and looks forward to continuing her karate training.

Dale finds much of her inspiration and creativity for carving in the stories of her people and inspires others through her interpretations of these legends and her willingness to share with others her knowledge of martial arts.

Dale's motto has been to "put as much as you can into life." She has also succeeded in adding a little magic.