Ancestor Mask
Availability: Only 1 available
by Lyle Wilson
Red Cedar wood, Human hair, Acrylic paint
9 x 7.5 x 5.25″ (mask only)
14 x 10.5 x 5.25″ (including hair)
The UBC’s Museum of Anthropology (MOA) has 4 HAISLA ZUX˚UM (housepost) collected by the Methodist missionary, Dr. G. H. Raley; stationed at KITAMAAT fr. 1893-1906. He collected them from an old HAISLA village site called, WAYIGIWA.MIA’S — used seasonally as a fishing site on GICH-LAA-LEES-LA (Kitimat River). The attributed creation date of all the ZUX˚UM is circa 1850.
All the ZUX˚UM are covered with a dark-brown substance that was probably once a clear, protective coating. It took ten days to examine — inch-by-inch — and draw accurate renderings of what three of the ZUX˚UM originally looked like. The carver’s original intention is hidden beneath dark coatings; which emphasizes their sculptural appearance, but hides the painted details that originally gave the ZUX˚UM a much more lively and colourful appearance.
Earlier NUGWA (I/me) carved a new, larger ZUX˚UM based on the original A17797 (MOA’s Coll. Number for it)). NUGWA called this new ZUX˚UM “Thunderbird” because the painted images on its cheeks are reminiscent of a thunderbird’s re-curved beak (although the image can be interpreted in other ways).
This GEE-GA-MEE (mask) is painted similarly to the old HAISLA ZUX˚UM. NUGWA learned from those old ZUX˚UM — so “ANCESTOR” seemed appropriate as its title.
Lyle Wilson 2024
CA$6,500.00
Only 1 available
Reserve this artwork- Description
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Red Cedar wood, Human hair, Acrylic paint
9 x 7.5 x 5.25″ (mask only)
14 x 10.5 x 5.25″ (including hair)
The UBC’s Museum of Anthropology (MOA) has 4 HAISLA ZUX˚UM (housepost) collected by the Methodist missionary, Dr. G. H. Raley; stationed at KITAMAAT fr. 1893-1906. He collected them from an old HAISLA village site called, WAYIGIWA.MIA’S — used seasonally as a fishing site on GICH-LAA-LEES-LA (Kitimat River). The attributed creation date of all the ZUX˚UM is circa 1850.
All the ZUX˚UM are covered with a dark-brown substance that was probably once a clear, protective coating. It took ten days to examine — inch-by-inch — and draw accurate renderings of what three of the ZUX˚UM originally looked like. The carver’s original intention is hidden beneath dark coatings; which emphasizes their sculptural appearance, but hides the painted details that originally gave the ZUX˚UM a much more lively and colourful appearance.
Earlier NUGWA (I/me) carved a new, larger ZUX˚UM based on the original A17797 (MOA’s Coll. Number for it)). NUGWA called this new ZUX˚UM “Thunderbird” because the painted images on its cheeks are reminiscent of a thunderbird’s re-curved beak (although the image can be interpreted in other ways).
This GEE-GA-MEE (mask) is painted similarly to the old HAISLA ZUX˚UM. NUGWA learned from those old ZUX˚UM — so “ANCESTOR” seemed appropriate as its title.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Sun Soapberry Spoon
Lyle Wilson
SOLDYew wood
NUGWA (I/me) consider GLUMC (Yew wood) a special, and relatively rare wood, NUGWA kept many off-cuts and other scrap pieces — it’s recognizing our overall need to conserve natural resources. So NUGWA resolved to use, as much as possible, even small pieces of GLUMC so the original tree wasn’t wasted. This piece was an off-cut from a larger GLUMC carving (the growth rings indicated the original tree was approximately 350 yrs old.).
USS is a traditional dessert made from a berry that is beaten into a pinkish, foamy (hence the translation to “soapberry”) dessert and a paddle-like KA-JA-NAUCH (spoon) was used to eat it. USS was considered a true delicacy in the olden days and served on special occasions like potlatches and feasts — it’s still traded and eaten today.
Normally most Pacific Northwest Coast carvers don’t use GLUMC because it’s a very tough, wild-grained, and relatively rare wood; as well it usually has many knots and other “flaws”. Such characteristic ensured that even in the olden days, it wasn’t used as extensively as other woods.
Given that the goal was to use even scrap pieces of GLUMC, NUGWA used jewelry techniques and carved this traditional USS
KA-JA-NAUCH with a GIZUA (sun) and its rays. The GIZUA is one of the crests of the the GEE-GA-JOAUCH (Beaver Clan).For a USS KA-JA-NAUCH, this particular scrap-wood was long enough, barely wide enough, but it also had a crooked twist to where a straight handle was usually called for. A rope with a knot was the inspiration for this USS KA-JA-NAUCH — a very decorative handle with the “knot” in the middle served as a visual device to “account” for the handle’s slight twist.
It was a very satisfying solution to a “knotty problem”.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Woodworm Staff
Lyle Wilson
CA$4,900.00Yellow Cedar wood, Abalone Shell
with Granite Base47 x 1.75 x 1.75″
47 x 8 x 8″ (including base)From a previous job NUGWA (I/me) had two skinny, off-cuts of KWANALAS (yellow cedar) — one long and one short. Both pieces kind of straddled the border of “usable wood” and NUGWA vacillated on whether to keep, or throw them away. Unable to make my mind up right away, NUGWA put them aside.
NUGWA had no specific plans for them, but when NUGWA finally looked at them again, their dimensions were suggestive of a club and cane.
Both pieces also included some of the white-coloured sap-wood — that’s the part prone to rot and other damage, so most carvers don’t tend to use wood that includes sap-wood.
In carvings that are meant for outdoors the inclusion of sap-wood is a legitimate concern, but in today’s world, it’s not as big an issue because most contemporary carvings are destined for the indoors, or another protected environment.
With the longer piece, NUGWA decided to carve a more sculptural piece; starting with a smaller woodworm on top, adding a human CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA (skull), and decorating the length of the staff with a rope motif.
NUGWA am pleased with how things came naturally together — in particular, the CHAACH-JOO-WA-QIA really adds a powerful presence and seemed appropriate to a shamanistic theme.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Iksduq’iya & Qolun (Eagle & Beaver) Box
Lyle Wilson
Price upon requestSterling Silver, Engraved and Textured on Hollow-ware2015
“My father’s Eagle Clan adopted me, but I was actually born into my mother’s Beaver Clan. Since the Haisla followed a matrilineal system, whereby every child was automatically included into its mother’s clan, my unusual adoption was due to the circumstances of the Eagle Clan having so many of its members die. Due to the early and unfamiliar diseases, everyone feared the clan would eventually become extinct.
I’ve always loved the look of a full-size, traditional wooden bent-box and liked the idea of a smaller, silver box using the same traditional proportions. It adds a unique sculptural look to any small box which, once seen, becomes a more appreciated detail with every subsequent examination. The box’s construction technique is very deceptive; it looks solid but is actually a box-within-a-box, with the hollow spaces between each ‘box’ allowing for visually thicker walls. For this box, I decided to honor my connections to both Haisla Clans – Beaver and Eagle – by engraving each on one-half of the box. The box’s lid has another Eagle engraved on the top, and the Halibut, a sub-crest shared by both clans, is engraved around the edges.”
-Lyle Wilson, 2016
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Qolun (Beaver) Pin/Pendant
Lyle Wilson
CA$1,000.00Sterling silver, Cast, Engraved, Textured
Edition of 14
2013
“The Beaver was my original clan but I was adopted into my father’s Eagle Clan because it was thought that it might become extinct; many Eagle Clan members died due to having no immunity to early European diseases.
The wild beaver seems to understand an old, but true, Haisla proverb: ‘If you work hard today, you will have plenty tomorrow.’ Or perhaps it was actually my ancestors who came to understand, emulate and respect the working habits of this industrious little animal enough to create the original Haisla Beaver Clan.”
-Lyle Wilson, 2016