A gaggle of first graders in Kacey DiJulio’s class, sitting crisscrossed, watched as local artist Jason LaClair taught them the four basic shapes of Coast Salish art: circle, oval, crescent, and trigon (a triangle with a curved base). He explained that Coast Salish art only uses these four designs, and that they all have significance to his people.

“I want you kids to close your eyes and imagine a bowl of still water. Now, imagine dropping a pebble into that bowl, and picture the water ripples that go out,” said LaClair. “Those ripples, that’s what the crescents represent – it represents our connection to the Salish Sea.”

This month, LaClair visited all of Eagleridge Elementary School’s first grade classes to teach them about Coast Salish art, and by extension, its culture. LaClair, who grew up in both the Nooksack reservation and the Lummi Nation, is a prominent painter in the region. His Coast Salidh murals can be found all over Whatcom County, from the side of Pioneer Pavilion to the downtown Bellingham library to the walls of Whatcom Intergenerational High School. By next school year, he will have finished new murals at Horizon Middle School and Ferndale High School.

Despite his busy painting schedule, LaClair makes a point of visiting local schools.

“Sharing the art is one thing, but coming in as an Indigenous person from this area, and teaching about what art means to us and how we use it today, it gives kids something to go home and think about,” he said. “And while they’re out in the community, they can look for Coast Salish art and learn how to identify other painting styles here in Whatcom County.”

DiJulio was inspired to invite LaClair to Eagleridge after watching him present at the Since Time Immemorial training last summer hosted by Lummi Nation and the state education department. Since Time Immemorial is a curriculum program where students learn about the history and culture of their local Indigenous tribes.

“It’s important for us to honor who was here first, and the history and the culture behind that,” said DiJulio. “Art is a great way, especially for our younger students, to make those connections.”

Eagleridge is one of three Ferndale elementary schools that serves the Lummi Nation, along with Beach and Skyline. More than 17% of the school’s students are Native American, according to state data.

During his sessions with Eagleridge’s first grade classes, LaClair included some basic facts about Coast Salish culture. He explained to the students that there are many tribes in the region, and they all speak different dialects of the same language (for example, the Lummi dialect is called Xwlemi Chosen). DiJulio then related that fact to her previous lesson about world languages.

“Sometimes, people speak the same language, but depending on where you live, the language might be a little bit different,” she told her class. “There might be special ways to say the sounds, or special words that are just for that area. Like, we have our friends who speak Spanish in this class – they might each speak their own little version of Spanish, and that’s called a dialect.”

After showing students some examples, LaClair used his iPad drawing app to demonstrate how the four shapes could create an eagle. As the design came together, students in the class started to go “wow!” and “cool!”

“See – something so simple can turn into something beautiful!” LaClair said.

After this, LaClair handed each student a couple sheets of paper – one blank, and one with his killer whale Coast Salish design. On the blank page, he led the students in drawing the four building-block shapes of Coast Salish art, and told them about the importance of patience.

“If I rush too much, I might make a mess,” LaClair told the class. “So I need to take my time, and that’s how it is in life, too.”

After this tutorial, the students took their time coloring in the killer whale design, with LaClair and DiJulio checking in on the students’ work. LaClair offers pointers and compliments to the first graders, remarking to one, “Oh, you’re using the point system! I like that!”

After the session, LaClair said that he loves visiting classes and showing students (and their families) that the local arts community values education and youth.

“Meeting the kids in-person is a very special thing,” he said. “It tells their young minds that somebody who’s really busy, out there doing things, can still make time for kids.”

LaClair’s art can be found on his Instagram page, @jason.laclair.946. If you’re interested in him visiting your child’s classroom, contact Allied Arts of Whatcom County at info@alliedarts.org.