Orca Model Pole
Availability: Out of stock
by Lyle Wilson
Yellow Cedar wood
37 x 9.5 x 6″ (model pole only)
44 x 12.5 x 8.5″ (including plexi-glass case)
HULL-CHEY-NAUCH is the HAISLA word for an orca (past terms are: Killer Whale and Blackfish).
There are HULL-CHEY-NAUCH clans in most — if not all — Pacific Northwest groups and NUGWA (I/me) attribute that to our ancestors witnessing, and admiring, the majesty, beauty and intelligence of the wild HULL-CHEY-NAUCH.
In the olden days it was believed that the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH lived in a traditional GYUU-AUCH (bighouse) under the AH-AH-WAUCH (sea/ocean), and there was a HULL-CHEY-NAUCH
HEY-MAS (chief). He ruled over the rest of the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH and the other creatures of the AH-AH-WAUCH. The HULL-CHEY-NAUCH could also take off their outer-skin to reveal their human forms.
The HULL-CHEY-NAUCH HEY-MAS was rich, powerful and feared by mortals. He is depicted on this GLA-GLA-QWIL-SALA (totem pole) with his head at the bottom and his tail on top — the dorsal fin connects both and the pectoral are on both sides.
The HULL-CHEY-NAUCH we see today, are considered to be descendants of the historical, myth-time HULL-CHEY-NAUCH.
Lyle Wilson 2024
SOLD
Out of stock
- Description
- Additional Information
- Artist Bio
Yellow Cedar wood
37 x 9.5 x 6″ (model pole only)
44 x 12.5 x 8.5″ (including plexi-glass case)
HULL-CHEY-NAUCH is the HAISLA word for an orca (past terms are: Killer Whale and Blackfish).
There are HULL-CHEY-NAUCH clans in most — if not all — Pacific Northwest groups and NUGWA (I/me) attribute that to our ancestors witnessing, and admiring, the majesty, beauty and intelligence of the wild HULL-CHEY-NAUCH.
In the olden days it was believed that the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH lived in a traditional GYUU-AUCH (bighouse) under the AH-AH-WAUCH (sea/ocean), and there was a HULL-CHEY-NAUCH
HEY-MAS (chief). He ruled over the rest of the HULL-CHEY-NAUCH and the other creatures of the AH-AH-WAUCH. The HULL-CHEY-NAUCH could also take off their outer-skin to reveal their human forms.
The HULL-CHEY-NAUCH HEY-MAS was rich, powerful and feared by mortals. He is depicted on this GLA-GLA-QWIL-SALA (totem pole) with his head at the bottom and his tail on top — the dorsal fin connects both and the pectoral are on both sides.
The HULL-CHEY-NAUCH we see today, are considered to be descendants of the historical, myth-time HULL-CHEY-NAUCH.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Killerwhale Panel
Philip Gray
SOLDRed Cedar wood, Acrylic paint
SOLD – For artist commission inquiries, please contact us.
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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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Nawakala (Old Man) Mask
Lyle Wilson
CA$6,500.00Red Cedar wood, Acrylic paint
This NAWAKALA (old man) GEE-GA-MEE (mask) is carved from a piece of DIN-YAS (red cedar) that was brought down all the way from C’IMOTSA (KITAMAAT) to Vancouver.
NUGWA (I/me) knew it was destined to be a GEE-GA-MEE but it was awhile before finally getting around to carving it.
NUGWA didn’t know exactly what to carve so NUGWA took the piece of wood and thought about C’IMOTSA and some of the GUKALUT (fellow HAISLA people) that NUGWA knew while growing up there.
Some of the most memorable — and true — advice given to NUGWA was from some of the older folks. Their advice wasn’t always taken, but reflecting on it, later, the advice given was generally AIX (good).
Perhaps if their advice was taken more seriously, a great deal of my mistakes wouldn’t have happened.
When this GEE-GA-MEE was 85 percent finished, NUGWA wanted to add a few other things to it — it’s hard to explain but it somehow felt “incomplete”. So NUGWA put it away and over a decade later, NUGWA took another look at it.
Such a long wait is not that unusual in my art practice; in this case it was entirely the right thing to do as sometimes “less is more”.
The added details that NUGWA envisioned earlier now seemed obviously unnecessary, and would’ve detracted from the feeling of the NAWAKALA GEE-GA-MEE.
This GEE-GA-MEE celebrates some of those elder GUKALUT and tries to portray their subtle serenity — some had this knowing, enigmatic smile and their wrinkles only added to their look of wisdom and long-life experience.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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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