The sun symbolizes a father like figure in Kwakiutl culture. Legend tells of Mink, the trickster, who goes to visit his father in the sky world. The sun, the moon, the animals and even the wind have human-like attributes in Northwest coast Native mythology. This underlines the link between man and the natural world. In Kwakiutl legends there was a Transformer who travelled around the world, creating all that we see today. Scientists call this the Big Bang theory, in which all matter in the world came from the same source – in myth time.

This painting was inspired by one hundred year old Kwakiutl dance frontlet, that I saw in the Chicago Field Museum in Chicago; where some of the best historic Northwest coast Native art is stored. The elements in the background draw upon Native pictographs, which have always fascinated me.

Oil on canvas

100x120 CM

Please call for price