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Northwest covers the Northwest Coast First Nations from the
Oregon State, through Canada, to Alaska. Included is a time line
from pre-contact times through the 20th century of significant
events that shaped the First Nations of the United States and
Canada. Also included is a detailed study of the original artform
with the animals and legends that have been traditionally used for
generations. Original artwork from Northwest artist Mickel Yantz
illustrates the animals and objects. This is a wonderful beginning
book for those interested in the Nations of the Northwest Coast
and their art style.

$10.00 Signed by Author/Artist

Ordering Information

Animal Legends

EAGLE WHALE THUNDERBIRD BEAVER BEAR SALMON OTTER RAVEN WOLF

E A G L E

Once, there was a young princess who was saved by a local nation from her village that was destroyed. She began her life and family with the new nation. When she had children she told them to take the canoe and paddle back to the island with food in memory of their ancestors. The children did what they were told, but they stopped on a beach to rest. Soon a horrible storm came in and damaged their canoe and left them marooned for days. When they thought all was lost a man appeared from no where and changed into a large bird and took the young children under his wings. After returning them home he told them not to look until he disappeared. The beat of his wings and his screeching was too much for the curiosity. They looked and saw their friend was the Eagle of the Sea.

W H A L E

There is a great bird that lives in the mountains of the Cascades. This bird would shoot lightning when it blinked and brought the winds in with every flap of his feathers. This was the mighty Thunderbird. Thunderbird would go to the ocean to find a whale and carry him back to the mountains for food.
One day, a Whale decided to fight the Thunderbird and not be eaten. The Whale fought out of the Thunderbird’s claws and went back to the ocean. Thunderbird caught him and the Whale fought again and again. They fought in the ocean, on the land and in the forests. Finally, Whale escaped from the Thunderbird and the Thunderbird did not go back. This is why today whales swim in the deep ocean and why there are prairie lands in the middle of forests across the northwest.

THUNDERBIRD

The greatest of all the creatures in the Northwest is the great Thunderbird. Thunderbird has feathers the size of canoe paddles. He has a huge curved beak and eyes that glow fire. When he blinked his eyes, lightning would shoot toward the earth. When he flapped his wings. The winds would blow storms in and out and change the tides.
Thunderbird once saved the people of the Northwest. There was bad weather for a long time and the people were weak and starving. They all gathered one night and asked the Great Spirit to help them. Then the Thunderbird came screeching from the clouds and thunder and gave the people a whale from the ocean. The people were saved by the Thunderbird and never forgot that day.

B E A V E R

Long ago there was no fire on the land and the animals and the people ate raw food and it was hard to stay warm during the cold winter nights. The animals decided to get together and climb up to the Fire Guardians in the mountains and steal some amber’s to make fire. They made a ladder of arrows up to the mountain. Beaver was the first one up and went for the ambers, but the Fire Guardians attacked him. They left him for dead to get the other animals coming up the arrow ladder. Beaver was only faking being dead and gathered all the amber’s he could in his paws. Beaver jumped down and hid all the ambers in a hollow tree so there would be fire forever in the trees. After that day, the people knew they could have fire to stay warm and cook food. .

B E A R

Once, there was a princess who was out picking berries. On her way home she tripped over bear tracks. The princess said some terrible things about the bears even though she knew that all the animals could hear her. She soon realized she was lost and out of nowhere a young man came and offered his help. They walked to his village, where she found out he was prince and soon married him. They lived three years and had two children. One day, the princess woke up and found a bear lying next to her. She touched the bear and he turned into her husband. She realized the bears had tricked her into marrying their prince for the bad things she said. That morning, hunters came who were the princess’s brothers. “Please don’t kill my husband,” but it was too late. They took the princess and her sons back to their own village. This was the beginning of the Bear clan.

SALMON

The salmon is the most important of the animals of the Northwest Coast First Nations, not because of the myths and legends, but because of the livelihood of the people. Salmon is the most important food source for the nations. Every year when the salmon would come from the oceans to swim up the Northwest rivers to spawn the people of the Northwest would be there to welcome them. The first salmon that was caught of the spawning season was very important in ceremony. This salmon would be greeted into the village and cooked to perfection. Each member of the village would get a piece of the salmon. The bones of the salmon were carefully kept intact. When the salmon was shared with the village, the bones would be placed back into the water to go back to the salmon village where it would get another body and tell the other salmon how well it was treated by the village, making the other salmon come to the village.
The salmon that was caught during this season was preserved, dried and stored and would feed the families of the village throughout the year. This made it very important to treat the first salmon with respect so the season would be good and everyone would be fed until the next season.

OTTER

The otter is an important animal of the Northwest Coast First Nations. The otter is looked upon for its power of magic and shamanism. The otter could lure people away from their village and into the forest and water. A person who was alone and drawn into the water could be turned into an otter or drown. Catching an otter was a goal of all shamans that would used parts of the otter for healing ceremonies. Someone who falls in love with an otter is forever lost and turns into an otter. The legends of the otter are used to keep children from running away on their own. The respect of the otter can be seen in the many uses that the otter image is used. The otter can be seen on shaman, potlatch items and totem poles.

RAVEN

     Long ago, before the great flood and when the animals walked across the land along with the people, the earth was dark. There was no light. There was no sun, moon or stars. There was a man who had a box. In this box there was all the light in the universe. The man kept this light for himself and didn’t share it with anyone. The man had a daughter who captured his heart. They did not know what each other looked like, but cared for each other like all families do.
      Also at this time was the Raven. Raven wasn’t happy with the way the earth was. He couldn’t see the beaches, trees or himself. He was quite tired of running into trees and such, when one day he ran into something. When he realized it was a cabin, he heard a voice singing out. “I have all the light in world and it is all mine and know one else.” Raven couldn’t but overhear that the man had the light of the universe.
     He took a while to decide how to steal the light, but he soon figured it out. Raven went to the top of a tree and listened for the daughter to come out of the cabin. The daughter finally came out of the cabin and went to the river that was close by. Raven went to the top of the river and turned into a pine needle. Raven floated down the river to where the daughter happened to be getting a bucket full of water. Raven floated right into the bucket. The daughter was thirsty from the walk, so she took a drink from the bucket and accidentally swallowed the pine needle, which was the Raven.
     A couple days went by and the daughter realized she was pregnant. Neither she nor her father could understand how it happened, but they were happy for the child soon to be. The secret was the child was actually Raven who made the daughter pregnant.
     Months went by and the daughter finally gave birth to a healthy child. The child looked a little different from other children because it was a Raven. Luckily, they daughter and father couldn’t tell he looked different because there was no light. As soon as Raven was born he started asking to play with the box that had the light inside. The father insisted that the child could not play with the box. This made Raven scream and cry. Everyday Raven asked to play with the box, and again the father said no, and again Raven screamed and cried. After days and days of the screaming and crying the father finally let Raven play with the box. The Raven quickly opened the box and before the father saw the grandson turn into the black feathered Raven, the Raven flew out of the cabin with the light. He flew out of the cabin and the mountains and valleys and the first sparkles of the river were seen. From that time forward there was light across the land and Raven was happy for the great prize of the light.

WOLF

A long time ago, Wolf was bored with the land life and wondered what it would be like to live in the ocean. Wolf went to the water and stepped in, but his fur got very heavy and he couldn’t swim very well. Finally, Wolf changed himself into a Killer Whale and swam into the ocean. This is where the Orcas got their white spots. Whales move together and hunt in groups like wolves.
The whale is the hunter of the ocean, like the wolf is the hunter on land. Wolves are very respected animals for their hunting abilities. Hunters train their whole lives to receive the abilities of the wolf and become a great hunter.

Coming Soon:
Design techniques of The Northwest Coast Style of Art
Northwest Coast Culture

Gallery of Woodwork Commissions Gallery Home Portfolio Gallery of Paintings

Morningstarmusic & Art Main Auctions of Art on Ebay

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