Andy Everson was born in Comox, BC
in 1972 and named Na̱gedzi after his grandfather, the late Chief
Andy Frank of the K’ómoks First Nation. Andy has also had the honour of being seated with the ‘Na̱mg̱is T̓sit̓sa̱ł'walag̱a̱me' name of Ḵ̓wa̱mxa̱laga̱lis I'nis. Influenced heavily by his grandmother, he has always
been driven to uphold the traditions of both the K’ómoks and Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw
First Nations. In this regard, Andy has pursued avenues where
he can sing traditional songs and perform ceremonial dances at
potlatches and in a number of different dance groups, most notably
the Le-La-La
Dancers, the Gwa'wina Dancers and the K’umugwe Dancers.
Pursuing other areas of traditional culture has also led Andy to
complete a Master’s degree in anthropology. Because the K’ómoks
First Nation lies on the border between the larger Salish and Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw
realms, his thesis focused on notions and expressions of contemporary
Comox identity. His work in anthropology provided him with a background
in linguistics which subsequently inspired him to create a company,
Copper Canoe,
Inc, that specialized in the creation of Aboriginal language media.
Andy feels that his artwork stands on par with these other accomplishments.
Although he began drawing Northwest Coast art at an early age, Andy's
first serious attempt wasn’t until 1990 when he started designing
and painting chilkat-style blankets for use in potlatch dancing.
From these early self-taught lessons, he has tried to follow in
the footsteps of his Kwakwa̱ka̱'wakw relatives in creating bold and unique
representations that remain rooted in the age-old traditions of
his ancestors. The ability to create and print most of his own work
has allowed Andy to explore and express his ancestral artwork in
a number of contemporary ways.
Please feel free to browse the site and if you have any questions
or would just like to leave a comment, please do not hesitate
to send Andy an e-mail under the contact link.
Gilakasla
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