Lyle Wilson

Red Cedar wood, Acrylic paint

This painting is my theory of the evolution of the Pacific Northwest Coast (PNC) OVOID. In 1874 a native informant told James G. Swan that the eyespots on the wings of a young BAGWANA (skate fish) is the original source of the OVOID. However, its eyespots are a solid circle with a fine line surrounding them.

So from that circular format the OVOID must have evolved into a more elongated and rectangular shape. The HULL-CHEY-NAUCH (orca) has solid white eyespots; some of which do resemble the elongated shape of an OVOID.

So to imply that connection, the BAGWANA’s tail is close to the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH’s blowhole.

The perimeter of an eye socket of a human CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA (human skull) has a squarish, elongated shape that is very close to the shape of a archaic OVOID. In the olden days dead people were put in a GUH-YO-JEELTH (bentwood box). These GUH-YO-JEELTH were then put up in a tree. Eventually it rotted away and everything fell to the ground — leaving the skeleton exposed, including the CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA.

So a GUH-YO-JEELTH with a painted CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA is beside the BAGWANA. On the GUH-YO-JEELTH’s lid is a series of OVOIDS showing the progression: circular, archaic and the classic OVOID. The classic OVOID has a upward bending bottom which differs from the flatter bottom of the archaic OVOID.

It required a human mind to put all these influences together, so on the bottom, below the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH, is a human hand — representing that long-ago PNC artist who first put everything together; allowing a long lineage of artists to follow the PNC art style.

Lyle Wilson 2024

Red Cedar wood, Acrylic paint

This is the story of WEE-GIT, the Trickster GAX (raven) stealing the “Ball of Light” — in this carving WEE-GIT is painted in the corona, the GIZUA (sun) is peeking from behind his beak, and the NA-GWA-JEE (moon) is the carved, central face.

In the olden days, the world was originally in darkness so it was very hard for WEE-GIT to hunt for food with which to satisfy his never-ending hunger. WEE-GIT knew that an old HEY-MAS (chief) owned, and kept, a “Ball of Light” in a GUH-YO-JEELTH (bentwood box). WEE-GIT decided it would be easier to get food if he could see, so he decided to trick the old HEY-MAS. He did that by using his magical powers to change himself into a pine needle; then floated into the chief’s daughter’s cup of water. She drank both the water and pine needle and became pregnant.

Thus WEE-GIT was reborn as a young boy, and became the treasured grandchild of the old HEY-MAS.

At first the HEY-MAS kept a close watch on WEE-GIT but eventually the HEY-MAS let his “grandson” play with the “Ball of Light”; relatively unsupervised. Taking advantage of the loose supervision WEE-GIT quickly changed back into his true form and grabbed the “Ball of Light” in his beak. He flew up and squeezed through the big-house’s smokehole; the smokehole’s soot turned his white feathers to black when he squeezed out — that’s why all GAX have black feathers today.

The “Ball of Light” was very heavy and WEE-GIT soon became too tired to fly, so rather than let the pursuing HEY-MAS regain it, WEE-GIT threw the “Ball of Light” into the sky and as he did so, pieces broke off.

That is why the NA-GWA-JEE and GIZUA are in the sky; WEE-GIT’s unintentional gifts to mankind. The “Ball of Light” has also served as a metaphor for the beginning of human consciousness on the Pacific Northwest Coast.

Lyle Wilson 2024

Red Cedar wood, Yellow Cedar wood, Abalone

This is the aftermath of one “famous adventure” of WEE-GIT, the TRICKSTER GAX (Raven):

“In the olden days, the world was originally in darkness so it was very hard for WEE-GIT to hunt for food with which to satisfy his never-ending hunger. WEE-GIT knew that an old HEY-MAS (chief) owned, and kept, a ‘Ball of Light’ in a traditional GUH-YO-JEELTH (bentwood box). WEE-GIT decided it would be easier to get food if he could see, so he decided to trick the old HEY-MAS. He did that by using his magical powers to change himself into a pine needle; then floated into the chief’s daughter’s cup of water. She drank both the water and pine needle and became pregnant.

Thus WEE-GIT was reborn as a young boy and became the treasured grandchild of the old HEY-MAS.

At first the HEY-MAS kept a close watch on WEE-GIT but eventually the HEY-MAS let his ‘grandson’ play with the ‘Ball of Light’; relatively unsupervised. Taking advantage of the loose supervision WEE-GIT quickly changed back into his true form and grabbed the ‘Ball of Light’ in his beak. He flew up and squeezed through the bighouse’s smokehole; the smokehole’s soot turned his white feathers to black when he squeezed out— that’s why all GAX have black feathers today.”

The ‘Ball of Light’ was very heavy and WEE-GIT soon became too tired to fly, so rather than let the pursuing HEY-MAS regain it, WEE-GIT threw the ‘Ball of Light’ into the sky and as he did so, pieces broke off.

That is why the GIZUA (sun), XEE-XEE-GIZUA (stars) and NA-GWA-JEE (moon) are in the sky; they are WEE-GIT’s unintentional gifts to mankind. The ‘Ball of Light’ has also served as a metaphor for the beginning of human consciousness on the Pacific Northwest Coast.”

Although entirely of my imagination NUGWA decided to continue the story a bit further. Afterwards, WEE-GIT decided to build himself a traditional HAISLA bighouse and have the housefront and front gables decorated with various images of himself — the GIZUA occupies the apex of the bighouse, the XEE-XEE-GIZUA just below, and peeking out the round entrance is a NA-GWA-JEE face.

Lyle Wilson 2024