Raven was the Creator-Trickster of the Northwestern Indian cosmology. A voracious glutton, his appetite was only matched by his enthusiasm for mischief. A shape changer, he could take many forms. He loved to upset things and cause trouble.
Detail: Eye is mother-of-pearl. Item in mouth is mother-of-pearl.
The most important of all creatures to the Northwest coast Indian peoples was the Raven. He took many forms to many peoples — the Transformer, the cultural hero, the trickster, the Big Man. Full of magical powers, the Raven could transform himself into anything. He put the sun in the sky, the fish in the sea, the salmon into the rivers. His antics were often motivated by greed, and he loved to tease, to cheat, to woo, and to trick.
Carved western red cedar
20-1/2” x 8” (52 cm x 20.3 cm)
Item # 10058-A
Signature: “Raven” “Andy Bruce Kaasiuth, Alert Bay” (Cormorant Island, B.C.)