Northwest Coast Native Art

$56.00

Item R208F

15 1/2 x 17 1/2

2 lbs. 8 oz.

Extra packaging required. A surcharge of 5.00 will be added to order.

Sheey Atika, framed
by Yukie Adams

8" x 10" print, ivory mat and black wooden frame (shown without frame)

Orcas are shown swimming in the Sitka Sound near Baranof Island. The title of this image is Sheey Atika which is from the Tlingit language, the actual translation means Sitka, Alaska.

Yukie Adams

In 1984 artist Yukie Adams married Henry Adams. Henry was an Alaskan Tlingit tribal citizen. When Yukie married him she became a part of his Tlingit culture. Yukie naturally became interested in the native art of the Northwest Coast. Yukie studied and with her newly acquired knowledge, she began creating contemporary Northwest Coast Native designs. Yukie put her designs on drums, paintings, serigraphs, and prints. After her husband passed away, she began to take her work to a new level. Yukie started to create woodcarvings and mixed media. This combination of modernism and traditionalism is unique to her works of art.

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Killer Whale

In the Northwest Coast Native American culture these majestic creatures are associated with strength, dignity, prosperity, and longevity. Killer Whales are thought to be the reincarnations of great chiefs. They often guide people to safety when they are caught in stormy weather. All along the coast, fishermen and hunters often applied Killer Whale designs to their canoes for safety.

Whales, a common motif in the art of the Northwest Coast peoples, were the subject of countless stories and legends. One story held that a whale could capture a canoe and drag it and the people aboard down to an underwater Village of the Whales. These people were then transformed into whales themselves. The Haida believed that whales seen near villages were these drowned people trying to communicate with the villagers. The Coastal Indians held whales in great respect. The West Coast people of Vancouver Island, and the related Makahs, the only groups to hunt whales, underwent significant purification ceremonies prior to the hunt. The Orca is always regarded with respect by the Northwest Coastal Native Americans. He is the subject of much fantasy and superstition. The Orca is given to show respect and awe, and to tell someone that they bring harmony to your life.