Carved Yellow Cedar Wood Raven, Sun, Moon & Star Panel by Northwest Coast Native Artist Lyle Wilson

Raven, Sun, Moon & Star Panel

Availability: Only 1 available

Yellow Cedar wood

This is the story of WEE-GIT, the Trickster GAX (raven) stealing the “Ball of Light” — this carving includes the GIZUA (sun), NA-GWA-JEE (moon),and the XEE-XEE-GIZUA (stars) being released into the sky at the same time.

In the olden days, the world was originally in darkness so it was very hard for WEE-GIT to hunt for food in order to try 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 such 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, he threw the “Ball of Light” into the sky; when he did that smaller pieces broke off.

That is why there are now are the GIZAU, NA-GWA-JEE and XEE-XEE-GIZUA casting their light from the sky; WEE-GIT’s unintentional gift 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

30 x 10.75 x 1.75" (76.2 x 27.31 x 4.45cm)

CA$13,500.00

Only 1 available

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Yellow Cedar wood

This is the story of WEE-GIT, the Trickster GAX (raven) stealing the “Ball of Light” — this carving includes the GIZUA (sun), NA-GWA-JEE (moon),and the XEE-XEE-GIZUA (stars) being released into the sky at the same time.

In the olden days, the world was originally in darkness so it was very hard for WEE-GIT to hunt for food in order to try 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 such 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, he threw the “Ball of Light” into the sky; when he did that smaller pieces broke off.

That is why there are now are the GIZAU, NA-GWA-JEE and XEE-XEE-GIZUA casting their light from the sky; WEE-GIT’s unintentional gift 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

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