Sun Soapberry Spoon
Availability: Out of stock
by Lyle Wilson
Yew 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
11 x 1.75 x 1" (27.94 x 4.45 x 2.54cm)
SOLD
Out of stock
- Description
- Additional Information
- Artist Bio
Yew 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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Where Air Meets Water: The Eagle and Killerwhale Panel
Corrine Hunt
Price upon requestBone ash, graphite and aluminum composite
Limited edition of 9
Please ask us about custom orders
In this panel design Corrine Hunt has propelled her use of the medium in such a way that she invites a ‘contemporary’ perception of form. The panel is made from a composite of bone ash, graphite, and aluminum; the organic black colour coming from the ash. The panel itself has been cut from a technically controlled machine, and then has been hand-finished and polished to a luminous sheen.
Corrine’s concept for the panel is based upon the physical depiction of air meeting water; a drop of water which creates a swirl as the air affects its surface. The whorl-shape created by this abstract notion has produced the forms of an Eagle, on the upper left side of the panel, and an Orca; it’s body elusively curving around the right side of the panel. Corrine has continued to play with the whirlpool concept by introducing echoing shapes and forms that reflect across the surface of the panel and invite the viewer to explore the “water’s” surface.
In First Nations art and culture, the Eagle is seen as the symbol of status, power, peace, and friendship, whilst the Killerwhale is revered for its powerful hunting ability and is considered to be the sea manifestation of the Wolf. Both in legend and in the wild, the Killerwhale guards its family for a lifetime. Again, the artist is working around the model of “Air meeting Water”, both visually and in her choice of crest figures.
The artist’s intention in her design is to mesmerize the viewer; she combines traditional formlines of the Northwest Coast with the interpretive concepts of post modernism, allowing the eye to move seamlessly and always see something new.
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The Chase Bentwood Box
Philip Gray
SOLDRed Cedar wood, Operculum shell, Acrylic paint
SOLD – For artist commission inquiries, please contact us.
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‘Goat Horn’ Pewter Serving Set
Artist Unknown
CA$250.00Cast from fine lead free Pewter (made in Canada)
Food safe and hand wash
Available in a Matte finish only
Each Utensil: 8 x 2 x 2″
Custom Maple Wood box is sold separately – please inquire for pricing
This beautifully designed serving set features classic totemic designs with Eagle, Frog and Raven Stealing the Sun. The traditional ‘Goat Horn’ styled fork and ladle make an ideal wedding or any occasion gift. Pewter will not tarnish like silver over time. Hand wash only with mild soap.
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Raven Ladle
Russell Smith
CA$5,450.00Ivory, Abalone, Sterling silver, engraved
For more details on shipping Ivory outside of Canada, please click here and then click open the Shipping section and scroll down to read more on Shipping Restrictions.
Spoons and ladles were traditionally made from either cedar wood or the horn of a mountain sheep, and their handles were carved with family crest images. Historically, these exquisitely sculptured objects were primarily created by people in Northern Nations, and were highly sought after by other nations. During potlatches [festive gatherings], cedar ladles decorated with the hosting family’s crests were used to serve food, while the elaborately carved mountain sheep spoons were distributed as gifts among the many guests.
Today, spoon and ladle productions are based on these traditional objects and are meant to be both objects of function and display. In addition to traditional mediums such as cedar wood, goat or mountain sheep horn, many modern-day spoons and ladles are constructed of gold, silver and pewter.
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Bent Box (with Sun) Pendant
Lyle Wilson
CA$2,300.00Yew wood, Sterling silver
As part of this exhibit NUGWA (I/me) decided to carve small, off-cut pieces of wood into a series of jewelry, because the medium of wood, itself, has an inherent beauty!
The HAISLA word for a pendant is NEE-CHA-WA — and the series of NEE-CHA-WA are carved at a fine jewelry-scale because NUGWA love wood and don’t want to throw away even small pieces of them. NUGWA first started in the jewelry field so when NUGWA got into carving wood, applying jewelry skills to such small pieces of wood was a “natural” progression.
So the GUH-YO-JEELTH and GIZUA (sun) — the “Ball of Light” — are carved on this NEE-CAH-WA.
Lyle Wilson 2024
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Raven & Light Sculpture
Lyle Wilson
SOLDWild Crabapple wood, Yew wood, Abalone shell
Black Walnut BaseThis is the story of WEE-GIT, the Trickster GAX (raven) stealing the”Ball of Light” — this carving shows WEE-GIT, perched on a traditional GUH-YO-JEELTH (bentwood box). The NA-GWA-JEE (moon) is above him.
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. 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 NA-GWA-JEE 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 NA-GWA-JEE 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 NA-GWA-JEE into the sky.
That is why there now is a NA-GWA-JEE casting its soft light from the nighttime 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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Ovoid Origin Sculpture
Lyle Wilson
CA$5,400.00Warlus tusk (Ivory), Yew wood, Abalone shell
For more details on shipping Ivory outside of Canada, please click here and then click open the Shipping section and scroll down to read more on Shipping Restrictions.