Halx̄°nix° (Orca) Pendant
Availability: Only 1 available
by Lyle Wilson
18K Yellow Gold, Textured, Engraved
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1.5 x 3/8" (3.81 x 0.95cm)
CA$2,000.00
Only 1 available
Reserve this artwork- Description
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- Artist Bio
18K Yellow Gold, Textured, Engraved
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Bear & Frog Ring
Kelvin Thompson
CA$1,440.0014K Yellow Gold, Engraved
Domed, Tapered
Width: 3/8″
Size: 10
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Killerwhale Ring
Norman Bentley
CA$2,640.0014K Yellow Gold, 14K White Gold Rails, Engraved
Cut-Out Design
Width: 1/2″
Size: 6.75
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Frog Eating Dragonfly Pendant
Christian White
CA$2,800.00Argillite, Catlinite, Abalone shell, Sterling silver
The Frog symbolizes luck, prosperity, stability and healing. As a communicator, Frogs connect with the world on land and under water. This figure is often carved into totem poles to prevent them from falling over.
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Weegit’s (Raven) Housefront Panel
Lyle Wilson
CA$9,000.00Red 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
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Orca & Prey Panel
Lyle Wilson
CA$7,000.00Red Cedar wood plank, Acrylic paint
This painting is a small scale version for which NUGWA (I/me) used as a reference to make a large 14 by 15 foot interior house-screen.
The painting is based on the format of a traditional GA-GA-BA-MOLTH (button blanket) in which a single, large image occupies the central field — in this case a HULL-CHEY-NAUCH (orca). An ochre-colour border contains multiple creatures: GLEE-CHAN (sea lion), SAWGUM (seal), and MIYA (salmon). Reversing the normal painting practice, it’s the background that’s painted; turning the images into “negative, woodgrain formline” creatures.
NUGWA don’t know if it was common knowledge in the olden days but NUGWANIS (we) now know that there are 2 types of HULL-CHEY-NAUCH: one type eats MIYA, and the other type hunts GLEE-CHAN and SAWGUM.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Shaman & Salmon Model Pole
Lyle Wilson
RESERVEDYellow Cedar wood
58 x 8.5 x 6.5″ (pole only)
65 x 11.5 x 10.25″ (including plexi-glass case)
This GLA-GLA-QWIL-SALA (totem pole) is more of a sculpture and unlike a traditional GLA-GLA-QWIL-SALA, it doesn’t “tell” of a particular clan’s history. Instead it’s about our decimation of the MIYA (fish/salmon) stocks — once so numerous, that the old people said a person could, “walk across a river, on all the salmon backs, without getting your feet wet”.
The decline of the MIYA continues today — specifically the 5 species of MIYA: CABEES (Spring), HEYSEN (Sockeye), KAPEE (Pink), ZAWEN (Coho) and GWAXANEES (Chum). The GLA-QWAH-LAMAS (steelhead) is large ocean-going trout that many think of as a “salmon”.
The Pacific Northwest Coast (PNC) people valued the MIYA because it was their single, most important food source. The MIYA was celebrated with ceremony, song and art. The HAISLA considered them so important that NUGWANIS (we) have a MEE-MEE-NEE-NAUCH (Fish Clan).
Many PNC people call the MIYA “The Swimmers”. During their life-span they may journey afar, but they always returned to their home-rivers so people could always depend on such a food-supply. People also likened the return of the MIYA as the biggest potlatch of all, because everything depended upon them for food: people, SAX & DAY-QWA (grizzly & black bears) , SAWGUM (seal), MOO-MOO-GA-JOO (halibut), GAX (raven), IKSDUQ’IYA (eagle), etc. So it was said the MIYA “gave the biggest potlatch of all” because they gave up their lives to feed so many creatures.
MAMIYA means, “To fish” in the HAISLAKALA language and NUGWA (I/me) have fished in the sports, food and commercial fisheries and seeing so many MIYA caught was both sad and exciting!
Sad when one thought of the deaths of such beautiful creatures, yet still appealing to our age-old instinct to catch food.
On the bottom of the GLA-GLA-QWIL-SALA a chanting HEY-LEE-CLA (shaman) is standing on a KWEE-KWEE-NAUCH (frog). Surrounding the HEY-LEE-CLA are many of his strange, fantastical spirit-helpers, which no- one really knows exactly what they are. One suspect, and unfortunate, soul is tied up to try and extract his “confession”.
There are a few other smaller HEY-LEE-CLA in their respective shamanic trances; all trying their best to be helpful in this particular spirit-quest.
One HEY-LEE-CLA is in an old-style GELWA (canoe) — it was believed the HEY-LEE-CLA entered into a trance and then journeyed to the spirit-world, in such a GELWA.
In this spirit-world were the lost-souls of a school of MIYA, being prevented from entering our world. The HEY-LEE-CLA and their helpers are
trying to find a way for the MIYA to return, spawn and repopulate the WA (rivers) of our world — a worthy goal whether one is a HEY-LEE-CLA, sport, native-food, or commercial fisherman; or just an ordinary person.
Decades ago, NUGWA was part of the 5-man crew of large commercial seine-fishing boat and we used a very long net to catch MIYA. After one such set with all that time, effort and cost expended, we caught one MIYA!
Our captain remarked: “That’s a lonely salmon!”
When NUGWA was much younger, there were still humungous numbers of MIYA — not as much as the older generations witnessed, but still mind-boggling. Now, the MIYA stocks have been so severely diminished some are labeled as being an endangered species.
So this GLA-GLA-QWIL-SALA is really a metaphor — as the HEY-LEE-CLA are for us — about the past and future of the MIYA. Hopefully the “HEY-LEE-CLA” will be successful in their quest and there won’t be any more “lonely MIYA” in our world.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Miya (Fish) Pendant
Lyle Wilson
CA$1,200.00Sterling silver, Repousse, Chased, Engraved, Textured
2015