'The Haida Legend of Bear Mother' is an amazing piece hand-carved by Haida artist Ron Russ. It has been carved from yew wood and adorned with 27 inlays of abalone and mother of pearl throughout the piece andone inlay of turquoise symbolizing a labret in the lower lip.
This carving depicts a human woman wearing a hat with a bear carved into it. Below the woman's face are two hands outstretched - in the palm of one hand sits a bear cub, and in the palm of the other hand sits a human figure.
'The Bear Mother story is a legend shared by many people on the Northwest Coast, most notably the Haida, Nisga’a, Gitxsan, and Coast Tsimshian. It tells the story of a woman who disrespected the bears when she was out berry picking, who was subsequently kidnapped and forced to marry the son of a bear chief. She gives birth to twin bear cubs who inherit a mix of human and bear features. The story emphasizes the importance of honouring and respecting animals, and deals with the subject of transformation and travel between the human and non-human worlds. '
-- The Bill Reid Centre, Simon Fraser University
The carving measures approximately 9 1/4 inches or 21 centimeters high, 6 1/4 inches or 16 centimeters wide, and 2 1/2 inches or 6 1/2 centimeters deep.
The second last image is of Ron Russ holding the carving. It was taken by Peter Sloan.The last image features an in progress view in Ron's workshop. Itwas taken by Richard Wilson.
The price includes shipping to Canada and the United States.
