This copper-painted cedar panel carving depicts a Sisiutl. The piece includes a remarkable number of abalone shell inlays, each executed with great precision. Measures 25 X 6.5 X .75, priced at $1800.

Sisiutl is an invincible legendary creature consisting on a supernatural being at the center, flanked by sea monsters, in Kwakwaka’wakw Salish art.

The artist is a member of the Kwakwakaw’wakw (Kwakiulth) First Nations, originating from Alert Bay in their ancestral land. He is clearly a master of this art, a man who loves the traditions and history of his people. He is known especially for carving in miniature, which calls certainly for a steady hand. When he was 11 years old, he moved to Gilford Island where Jim King, a chief who presided over the potlatch, had carved a dilapidated schoolhouse. When the young artist saw the chief’s work, he decided then to become a carver. Many artists contributed to his education, including Beau Dick from 1985-1998, during which time he learned to carve masks, poles and canoes.

The Native Sea Serpent symbolizes protection, supernatural power and revival. It is one of the most powerful protective symbols in Kwakwaka’wakw culture. The Sisiutl/Sisiulth is a supernatural three-headed serpent that possesses shapeshifting abilities and the ability to turn spectators into stone when gazed upon. Not only can the Sisiutl change shape into a human or animal, but it can also transform its body into a self-propelled canoe that the owner must feed with seals.

It is said that a war party, before departing in canoes, could paint a Sisiutl onto the side of the canoe, for protection and invincibility at war. However, the Sisiutl would then be painted over – so as not to terrify the waters, whose benediction was necessary in seafaring activities. The warriors would know that the Sisiutl was still there, though, under the paint, to bestow power and protection.