Henry Green
Henry Green was born in 1956 and raised in Port Simpson, on the coast of British Columbia. Raised within a family and community rich in tradition, Henry’s earliest training was with his father who introduced him to the trading language of Chinook. Green credits Freda Deising and Don Yeomans in particular for stimulating his interest in carving, and George Clutesi for developing his appreciation for storytelling.
Henry Green has completed formal art training at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver, British Columbia (1986 – 87) and at the Institute of San Miguel D’Allende in Mexico (1982 – 83).
As well as an exceptional designer, Henry Green is a highly accomplished engraver and carver. Henry is strongly committed to native education and land claim initiatives. Known for maintaining a traditional northern form along with achieving a great deal of relief carving within the context of jewelry, his work can be found in many private and corporate collections. Henry Green is a master carver and his work is highly sought by local and international collectors.
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Ancestor Portrait Mask
Henry Green
$8,400.00 CADRed Cedar wood, Abalone shell, Acrylic paint, Horse hair
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Ancestral Spirit Bentwood Box
Henry Green
Price upon requestRed Cedar wood, Acrylic paint
Henry Green’s ‘Ancestral Spirit Box’ demonstrates the extensive history of the artist’s Tsimshian community. Each panel has complex layers of family history throughout and is essentially Henry’s ancestry carved into the wood.
The central figure of ‘Ancestral Spirit Bentwood Box’ represents a story told to Henry by his father regarding the importance of paying respect to the supernatural spirit Nok-nok.
Along the Nass River in northern BC, where there were many Tsimshian villages situated, there are two large boulders of important significance. While travelling in the canoes along the Nass River, whenever the Tsimshian people came upon these two boulders, they would stop and pay tribute to the Nok-nok spirit leaving offerings of food and gifts while performing a ceremonial dance. They believed this practice would allow them safe passage and protection during their journey. On Henry Green’s bentwood box, the Nok-nok spirit is depicted with his face and hands projecting outwards in friendship and peace.
The additional three sides of the box depict an evolution of ancestral crest designs. Through supernatural events and intermarriage, clans would gain and lose crest figures. Each side of “Ancestral Spirit Box” is the visual telling of Henry’s personal lineage and characterizes the interchange of crests throughout the living generations. The main form-line design grows and changes, taking on elements of new creatures such as the Eagle, Salmon, and Raven to name a few.
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Wolf Ring
Henry Green
$350.00 CADSterling silver, 14K Yellow Gold, Engraved
Cut-Out Design
Width: 1/2″
Size: 9.75 -
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