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.

First Nations have great respect for Wolves because of their connections. People and Wolves hunt, gather, defend and even educate their tribe or pack. The Wolf has always been respected as a very family-oriented animal because he mates for life, watches and protects his young until they are old enough to be independent and protects the elders. Hunters would carve or paint lightning snakes with the head of Wolves on their canoes in the belief that the hunting skills of the Wolves would help their hunting skills on the water.

Some First Nations people believe that wolves are the reincarnation of deceased hunters, and they are frequently impersonated at ceremonies as Wolves. If direction and purpose are lacking in life, when clarity and persistence are needed, the steadfast determination of the Wolf can overcome fear, indecision, and confusion. Healers often take the form of the Wolf in their ritual work. Wolves are fierce, loyal, independent and well able to offer support on the most challenging healing journey. Thank you spiritsofthewestcoast.com

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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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The Loon and Human mask is intricately carved of red cedar with the amazing painted details that this artist is well-known for. The piece is adorned with sculpted and textured copper and hand-worked red cedar bark bundles and fringe.

This mask measures 26 x 14 x 10 inches including the graceful head of the Loon which projects forward. The piece disassembles into four pieces for safe shipping. Priced at $3850.

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 using hand tools softens and shreds the bark so that artwork 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 is a Hereditary Chief, an outstanding and internationally recognized artist, and a member of the Kwakiutl First Nation from Fort Rupert, BC, where he lives and works. He comes from a line of great Master carvers and skilled dancers. He started his carving career in 1991 at the Royal BC Museum in Victoria, BC. He apprenticed with the remarkable Hunt family carvers, his relatives. He works in a variety of mediums, carving in both yellow and red cedar. His goal is to carry on the family tradition - preserving the Kwakiulth culture and artistic style.

The Loon symbolizes peace and tranquility, and the powerful wisdom of dreams.

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The Owl mask is adorned with feathers and hand-worked cedar bark bundles. The piece measures 13 x 11 x 8 and is priced at $4200.

The artist is a master carver and an esteemed member of the Kwakiulth First Nation. He comes from a line of Kwakwaka'wakw carvers living in the Alert Bay/Gilford Island area of Northern Vancouver Island. He began learning to carve cedar in his 20s. He soon developed his own style.

His family, known as "The people of the Bear," is Kwikwasut'inuxw from the village of Gwa'yasdams on Gilford Island. Through heredity, the Bear and the Gwa'yasdams crest of the Sisiutl, or double headed sea serpent, are family crests. His ancestors were famous for their beautifully carved totem poles.

Today, he continues to seek to keep the tradition of carving alive by teaching others the traditional techniques. He believes in the importance of passing traditional art forms down to younger generations, and volunteers part of his time teaching aspiring First Nations carvers in the lower mainland.

The Native Owl Symbol represents a bird of wisdom and intuition, magic and prophecy. Owls are often seen as messengers. Some healers call upon the Owl for insight into the truth of ill-intent. Some First Nations believed that the sound of the Owl was a call to summon the spirit world.

In some Native American cultures, owls are associated with magic, clairvoyance and astral travel. 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.

Owls have often been associated with magic, witches and sorcerers, and in some cultures, the owl is a symbol of wisdom and all-seeing knowledge.

Owl energy helps you to connect with your inner wisdom and intuition. It can aid with clairvoyance and the ability to see through deception to the truth of a situation. To have an owl symbol can aid in the intention to increase your wisdom or intuitive skills. Some activities that can help support this connection include dreams and meditation.

The owl represents wisdom and gives the ability to see things that are normally hidden from view, such as the motives of others, and aids in thwarting deception.

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In the Artist's Own Words:

This Sun Mask represents the cycle of life. The four salmon represent the seasons of salmon runs up the Skeena River. The Sun holds the Dog salmon (Chum) in it's mouth. The Dog Salmon is the Prince of the Skeena River.

This old-growth Red Cedar shows growth rings indicating 1600 years. An added gift are the hand-carved Yellow Cedar dowels. Hand-sawn, hand-split, hand-chiseled... this Sun Mask was created with NO machinery at all, NO screws or nails.

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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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Thunderbird is an important symbol in First Nations lore. The Thunderbird Symbol represents power, protection, and strength. Thunderbird is often seen as the most powerful of all spirits and can also transform into human form by opening his head up like a mask and taking his feathers off as if they were a mere blanket!

Some tribes such as the Kwakwaka’wakw believe that their people once made a deal with the Thunderbird for its help during a food crisis and in return, the tribe agreed to honor the Thunderbird for all time by making its image prominent in their Northwest Native American art. This is why West Coast art totem poles are often carved with Thunderbirds with outstretched wings at the top.

First Nations art portrays the Thunderbird with a huge curving beak and prominent ears or horns. The Thunderbird is large and strong enough to hunt its favorite food which is the killer whale. The Thunderbird and killer whale are often depicted together in Northwest Native American art.

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