Raven & Frog Bracelet
Availability: Only 1 available
by David Neel
Sterling silver, Engraved
0.75 x 6.25"
$900.00 CAD
Only 1 available
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Sterling silver, Engraved
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Supernatural Log Bracelet
Marcel Russ
Price upon requestSterling silver, Engraved
Domed, TaperedThe Supernatural Log is more commonly referred to as Snag or Ts’Amos (Alternate spellings: Ttaamuus, Tsamaos). He is the personification of the seafaring Haidas’ obstacles while on the ocean in canoes; driftwood or deadheads. The Snag is an amorphous supernatural creature both in artwork and in legend and first appeared as a crest figure of families along the Skeena River. It is believed to have first appeared on jewelry designs by the famed Charles Edenshaw, whose father took the Snag as a crest.
A Snag can vary in appearance, much like the driftwood it imitates, but it almost always has a snag (deadhead) for a dorsal fin. It can be as simple as a dead log with a tail that can swim against the current. It can be a huge sea lion with dorsal fins and blowholes, or an enormous grizzly bear with a downturned mouth like a dogfish. It can be a hybrid of bear and Killerwhale, or raven and Killerwhale, with multiple bodies. It can be a large frog covered in seaweed with a snag sticking out of its back, and can even be a canoe or a schooner. Most visible at the change of tides, the Snag, if angered can breach and land on canoes, smashing them to bits. He also can make huge waves to capsize boats. The Snag was frequently featured as a protective figure on Bentwood Boxes that contained treasured artifacts, and is frequently depicted with Raven, its counterpart.
The Snag is a very important feature in the Haida legend of How the World Was Formed. Before there was the world as we know it, Raven was flying and flying and flying, and finally came to rest on a single rock, which was the tip of Haida Gwaii and the beginning of the world. This rock, was supported beneath (from the undersea world) by a stone house pole, which was in fact the fin of the Snag. It is therefore common to see the Raven and Snag in conjunction in Haida art. The Snag figure can be seen as an acceptance of responsibility for supporting the world, similar to the Atlas figure in Greek mythology.
It is believed the legends around the Snag was a warning for those who travelled by canoe to be more wary of their surroundings, especially at the change of the tides, and keep them alert on the water. When the tides change, deadheads and hidden logs or obstacles can suddenly appear and be a danger. As the Haida relied on trade with Mainland Nations to survive, it was pertinent for them to be adept at sea, paddling the vast distances to and from the islands to the coast.
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Bukwus Mask
David Neel
$6,500.00 CADRed Cedar wood, Cedar bark, Horse hair, Acrylic paint
21 x 13.5 x 9″
30 x 15 x 9″ (including hair)Bukwus, also known as the Wild Man of the Woods, is an eerie supernatural creature from the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation. This figure can be found lurking at the edge of a stream or in the shadows of the forest, always in search of souls that he can steal for himself. The souls that are caught by the Bukwus can be seen hovering near him, and are eternally condemned to misery, hunger, wandering, and evilness.
In his new book, The Way Home: David Neel, David features the full story of how the Bukwus figure came to be. As the story goes, there was once a group of villagers who went fishing for salmon together every fall. One man wanted to become a strong warrior, and would walk a great distance from their fishing camp each morning to bathe in the freezing mountain stream and purify himself. However, one morning, the man could not find his way back to the camp. No matter what he tried, he would always end up back at the mountain stream. His friends from the camp eventually went searching for him, but they were unable to find their friend.
Upon the group’s return to the fishing camp the following year, the man was spotted by two of the women while they were canoeing. They quickly ran back to the camp to tell the others, who went out the next day to search for him. To their shock, when they found their friend, they realized that he had become a Wildman. Although they tried to catch him, he jumped far above their heads and escaped back into the woods. After coming up with a plan, they returned the next day and managed to capture the man, though it took a dozen men to hold him down and bind him. With the help of a shaman, they were eventually able to tame their lost friend, and he returned to his life as a villager. Still, he remained stronger and faster than any other man, becoming a great warrior for his people.
David Neel’s Bukwus Mask exemplifies several of the distinct features traditionally used to depict this Wild Man of the Woods. The mask is given a shadowy, human-like form, emphasizes the attributes of the human skull. It is painted in dark colour tones that are commonly associated with the forest, and features deeply sunken eyes, a strong protruding brow, hollowed cheeks, and a hooked nose. During ceremonies, the firelight casts dark shadows across these features, creating ominous shadows that accentuate this creature’s dark nature.