Dzunuk'wa, also known as Tsonoqua, is a supernatural being in Kwakwaka'wakw and Nuu-chah-nulth mythology, often referred to as the "Wild Woman of the Woods"

She is venerated as a bringer of wealth, but is also greatly feared by children, because she is also known as an ogress who steals children and carries them home in her basket to eat.

Tsonoqua's dualistic nature, embodying both fear and wealth, reflects the complex and sometimes contradictory nature of the Kwakwaka'wakw world.

In one myth, she falls into a pit of fire, hence, her appearance is black in color. In masks and totem pole images she is shown with bright red pursed lips making her signature cry "Huuu! Huuu!". It is often told to children that the sound of the wind blowing through the cedar trees is actually the call of Dzunuḵ̓wa. Her fearsome reputation kept children close to the village!

Some myths say that she is able to regenerate any wound. She has limited eyesight, and can be easily avoided because she can barely see. In some cultures she is known to be the companion of the Wild Man of the Forest, AKA the Bukwus.

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Bukwus (sometimes "bakwas", "bokwus", "bookwus" or "bukwis") is one of the supernatural spirits of the Kwakwaka'wakw people of coastal British Columbia.

Bukwus is a spirit of the dead identified with an afterlife realm inhabited by various ghosts, especially the souls of those who have drowned. Bukwus may serve as the guide between the realms of life and the afterlife. Depending on the myth, Bukwus may also contribute more directly to their deaths.

Bukwus is often called "wild man of the woods" and is described as a gaunt, haggard wild man with a bony face. He is dressed in ragged garments and has long, disheveled hair.

He lives in an invisible house in the forest and the spirits of the drowned congregate there. In some myths he is described as the consort of dzunukwa, and the father of her children.

Bukwus emerges from the forest very early in the morning before too many people are about. He eats ghost food out of cockle shells. Bukwus lingers at the forest threshold at the shore or along forest paths, offering assistance and food to people who are lost. He tries to offer his ghost food to living humans who are stranded in the woods, in order to bring them over to the ghost world. Those who eat Bukwus’ food end up in Bukwus’ realm of the dead.

In traditional Kwakiutl cosmology, Bukwus is clearly a spirit. He is the subject of carved shamanic masks and appears during rituals, especially the traditional winter dance. However, he is now sometimes also identified with Bigfoot or Sasquatch and thus assumed to be a cryptid, an as yet unidentified living being.

In some lore, Bukwus is also known as a Cannibal Giant of the coastal Northwest.

Variant names: Boks or Puks (Bella Coola/Salishan), Bowis (Tsimshian/Penutian), Pi’kis (Nass-Gitksian/Penutian), Pokwas, Pukmis (Nootka/Wakashan), Pukwubis (Makah/ Wakashan).

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The highly detailed paint application uses red, green, coppery terra cotta, and black. The central mask is flanked by wings with openwork carving, and a pendant openwork chest piece hangs at center. Hand-worked red cedar bark bundles add texture. The carving throughout is deep and clean. The overall impression of this large commanding piece is stunning.

The artist is an outstanding master carver from the Kwakiulth First Nation of Vancouver Island. This incredible piece is carved in the old style Kwagul / Tlingit style featuring amazing openwork carving with the traditional forms of the Nakwaxda'xw Nation of Blunden Harbor.

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The artists combine their strong roots together in their combined Cree and Coast Salish First Nations heritage traditions. Remarkable details combined with their passionate spirited forms have major impact. We are very proud to offer this creative and powerful piece.

Mischievous and curious, the Raven plays many important roles in Pacific Northwest Coast Culture. For some, he symbolizes creation, transformation, knowledge, prestige as well as the complexity of nature and the subtlety of truth. He also symbolizes the unknown and shows that every person sees the world in a different way.

The Raven was often called upon to clarify truths in visions, as the wise elders knew that what the eye sees is not always the truth. Many people of the Pacific Northwest Coast refer to him as a helper to the creator, and it is believed by some that messages from the creator of the cosmos are buried in the wings of the Raven only to be released to the families most deserving of his knowledge.

The Raven is a long-distance healer and is known as the “keeper of secrets,” he helps us in our lives by exposing the truth of kept secrets that could potentially harm us, and in doing so he helps us back to good health. The Raven was only ever feared if misused. Thank you spiritsofthewestcoast.com

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The Queen of the Sea and her husband, Komokwa, are symbols of tremendous wealth and magic. Their castle deep in the ocean is made of living Sea Lions, and guards a massive storehouse of treasure. They are responsible together for administering powers of the tides, sea weather, and the vast richness of sea food and sea life. Komokwa has the power to see into the future, heal the sick and injured, and grant power to those in favor.

The Queen of the Sea is also known as Tlakwakilayokwa, or is also sometimes named Kominaga.

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An eagle at top left and an Orca whale curving down on the right encircle the central figure of the moon.

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Red-painted cedar rope surrounds the edges. Black painted details highlight the powerful beak and fierce expression.

A fringe of hand-worked traditional red cedar bark forms a panel at the throat, and more shredded cedar bark forms the topknot. Articulated "clapper" style beak opens and closes with a string line which can be repositioned and held open or closed for display as you prefer.

In First Nations indigenous cultures, hand-worked red cedar bark traditionally is dried out after pulling it from the tree in the spring. A lengthy process softens and shreds the bark so that art adornment, clothing, and regalia can be made from it. In times past, these tools traditionally were either made of yew wood or whale bone.

The artist, a member of the Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations, was born 1950 in Kingcome Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. The Kwakwaka’wakw people occupy the lower central region of the Pacific Northwest Coast.

He carves in yellow and red cedar wood. He lives now on Vancouver Island and teaches basic carving skills to elementary school children. He is a very well known and very well liked Northwest Coast Native artist who is preserving the carving traditions of his people.

The four laws that govern Kwakwaka’wakw First Nations people are:

• Respect for All of Creation: equality of humans, animals and the earth “all of creation”
• Maintenance of a Strong Spirituality
• The Value of a Relationship with our people and other Nations
• Bringing forth “the Gift of the Self”: an individual is connected to the community through what one brings to it.

The Native Eagle Symbol is known as “The master of skies” and is a symbol of great significance. He is believed to be the creature with the closest relationship with the creator.

Soaring to great heights, he can travel between the physical and the spiritual world. He is said to be a messenger to the creator. Unlike the raven’s ability to send messages down, the eagle sends messages and prayers up to the Creator.

If an Eagle was seen during a Prayer session it was a sign of having a prayer accepted. If a prayer needed immediate attention from the creator, an eagle feather would be held up towards the sky. Although every part of the eagle has separate and significant meanings, the Eagle as a whole signifies focus, strength, peace, leadership, and ultimate prestige. Thank you spiritsofthewestcoast.com

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His work is well known for details, fineness, and intense accuracy. The great detail and depth of his work appeals to both contemporary and traditional collectors.

Forest Gems is very proud to feature multiple pieces of his work, please come in and see these pieces up-close.

About the Artist

John Henry Hunt was born in 1974 in Alert Bay, a small village community whose artists have had an outsized and profound effect on art traditions of the larger region. This art "hotspot" village is off the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia. Alert Bay also hosts the world's tallest totem pole!

Given his first set of carving tools at 14 years of age, John began to carve seriously in 1991. He prefers to work with the soft wood of the majestic Red Cedar tree indigenous to British Columbia.

John is a member of the Kwagiulth Nation and takes the powerful Thunderbird as his family crest.

John lists the amazing Tony Hunt Jr. (1961-2016) as his teacher, and his grandfather Henry Hunt as his creative inspiration.

The Native Owl symbol represents a bird of wisdom and intuition, magic and prophecy. Some First Nations believed that the sound of the Owl was a call to summon the spirit world. Owls are often seen as having wisdom and acting as all-seeing knowledge messengers.

Owls are birds of the night - they have the power to see the unseen in the blackest of darkness, to hunt for food and fly silently through the night. Some healers call upon the Owl for insight into the truth of ill-intent.

In some Native cultures, owls are associated with magic and astral travel. The owl represents wisdom and gives the ability to see things that are normally hidden from view, such as the motives of others, and seeing through deception to the truth of a situation. The owl symbol can aid in the intention to increase your wisdom or intuitive skills.

Owl energy helps you to connect with your inner wisdom and intuition. Some activities that can help support this connection include dreams and meditation.

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The Native Sun Symbol represents life-giving abundance with its warmth radiating healing and peace. The sun was freed and given back to the earth by the Raven, who released it out of its confining box. Since then it has given all humankind warmth, light, and life. It was once believed that one could reach the sun by climbing a chain of arrows and that one would get down by sliding down the rays.
Thank you spiritsofthewestcoast.com

This artist is a member of the Squamish Nation, which consists of descendants of the Coast Salish Aboriginal peoples, originating from the greater Vancouver area, Gibson’s Landing and Squamish River watershed.

Squamish is a town north of Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada. It’s at the northern tip of the island-dotted Howe Sound, and surrounded by mountains like the Stawamus Chief, a huge granite monolith.

Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim is one of the 10 languages within the Coast Salish branch. The Squamish People, who are the Indigenous Peoples that speak Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim, are often referred to as the Squamish Nation today.

The first documented Squamish contact with Europeans was with Captain George Vancouver in 1792. Disease, which developed as a result of direct contact with European settlers along the West Coast of Canada, drastically reduced the indigenous Kwakwaka’wakw population during the late 19th-early 20th century. Kwakwaka’wakw population dropped by 75% between 1830 and 1880. The 1862 Pacific Northwest smallpox epidemic alone killed over half of the people.

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Incredible quality of carving and painting! Adorned in traditional colors of black, cinnabar red and green with gorgeous very tight grain old-growth Red Cedar showing.

Shipping: We offer local pickup. To ship, a custom crate will need to be fabricated. Therefore, shipping and insurance arrangements are entirely custom, and will be made with the buyer personally. For more information, please contact us.

This mask tells the story of How Raven brought Salmon to the People.

“One day Raven spotted Bear grubbing around a rock. This went on for so long that Raven landed and asked Bear what he was doing. Bear replied that he smelled something absolutely delicious, and it was coming from under this huge rock. So Bear and Raven worked together, tugging, pushing, and pulling the rock until it came free, revealing a dark hole in the ground. Bear was too big to climb down, so Raven volunteered to fly down the tunnel to look for the source of the mouth-watering smell.

Finally, Raven came upon a winding, underground river. He followed the river until he came to the village of the Pale People. They were suspicious of Raven. However, Raven was a good talker and convinced them that he was not there to steal any of their secrets; he just wanted to taste their delicious smelling bar-b-que! Raven tasted what they called “salmon” and thought to himself, “I must have this!” While the Pale People weren’t watching, Raven stuffed salmon in his nostrils and ears and tucked some scales under his talons.

Raven stole away from the Pale People, and returned to his world through the tunnel from which he came. Bear was very anxious, but Raven bade him to wait a bit longer. He took Bear to the nearest river and there he released the salmon into the water, giving salmon to the world of daylight.” - Calvin Hunt

About Calvin Hunt, First Nations Artist

• Chief Tlasutiwalis, Kwagu'l, Fort Rupert
• Hereditary Chief Nasnamus, Mowochaht, Friendly Cove

Calvin Allan Hunt, (1956) is the youngest son of Kwagu’l Hereditary Chief Thomas Hunt, and Emma, the daughter of a great Mowachaht Chief and Shaman, Dr. Billy, from Yuquot (Friendly Cove). He is also the grandson of renowned carver Mungo Martin and grandmother, Abayah. In 2004 Calvin was inducted into the prestigious Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and honoured with the BC Creative Achievement Award for Aboriginal Art in 2009.

www.calvinhunt.com

Artist Statement:

As I work within the traditional Northwest Coast Kwagu’l style, I am reminded of the diversity, spirituality, transformation and meaning of our Kwakwaka’wakw culture. The subject, design elements and colors are elements that contribute to my inspiration. I most enjoy working with western red cedar, and am particularly interested in carving totem poles, masks and dance outfits. There are certain elements that represent the unifying symbolism of various animals and legends which I follow through the knowledge and teachings of my Chiefs, Elders and artists.

I do what I do because...

Fine art constantly evolves; it allows a lens through which the fluidity and creativity of the art of the Northwest Coast is expressed. I mostly work within the elements of traditional southern Kwakiutl art, and it has taken me years to broaden my artistic creativity. Incorporating more contemporary elements and colors is a challenge I enjoy.

My artwork crosses the continuum of history and the present. I enjoy sharing our culture with the world, and I feel very fortunate to have the capacity to pass on our Elders’ teachings.

Most importantly, it is a way for us to teach our children, our “Gwa’layu”, (our reason for living) by providing a creative, inspiring environment that generates knowledge of their crests, legends, songs and dances, giving them a sound foundation of their identity.

An accomplished dancer and respected member of the Kwakwaka’wakw community, Calvin believes it is important to attend and take part in our feasts and potlatches that take place in the guwkzi (Big house). These ceremonies are an integral part of our culture; they teach us respect, humility, honor; they teach us who we are.

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