Some silver jewellery by West Coast First Nations (Canada) artists

there’s gonna be a pow wow at the fort gratiot lighthouse here the 19th.
sarnia,ontario is just across the river
:slightly_smiling_face:

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Darn, I go back to work right before that so can’t take any time off (I also teach on Saturdays). Rink has been shut for several weeks.

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Is that carving an otter? It’s so sleek and appealing, I can see why it’s your favourite.

The graininess in the lodge photo worked out well, actually – it has a very nostalgic feel to it. It also looks just a bit like a retro poster!

I have to admit I don’t remember a great many details about the international Toronto pow wow back, gosh, 30 years ago. There were so many things going on! Since then I’ve been to a couple smaller local pow wows here on the Island. I really enjoy them (and would go to more, but not having a car makes it hard to get to most of them :wink: ).

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Wonderful!!! So glad we helped each other out today!! I’ll add Travis Henry to.my records on tbe ravens, and the mystery continues on the wolves!!

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He’s a seal :grin:

Hmmm…that would be fun to have in a poster (but my walls are full)!

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  • Mystery pendant by unknown artist (signed with an “N” [?] written in script, plus the numbers 89 – presumably the year it was made)

Big big thanks to @Jemez2 , who pointed me to a FB page where the identity of the artist was confirmed. This piece is indeed by the Alaskan Tlingit artist Norman G. Jackson (b. 1957) of Ketchikan. (I took the time to double-check because it turns out there are 2 Tlingit silversmiths in Alaska named Norman Jackson — Norman G. and Norman L. :astonished:)

I’m so happy to have an answer to this mystery — thanks again @Jemez2 ! :heart_eyes: :two_hearts:

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Ha ha, I love otters so much, I see them everywhere :laughing: … but seals are lovely! {batting 0 for 2 in the “identify that animal” category :crazy_face:}

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i haven’t checked FB yet - did they identify the creature?

Not yet. His sister-in-law commented to the photo of the back (not on the main thread) to say she’d check with him before confirming the piece was his, and when I thanked her, I also requested her to ask what the creature was if it wasn’t too much trouble. But then on the main thread someone else added that it was definitely by Norman G. So if his S-I-L concluded the identification of the creator was not in doubt, she may not have felt the need to contact him. And I don’t feel comfortable pressing her about it! (And honestly, for me knowing the artist’s name was paramount.)

If I don’t hear anything further in the thread after another week or so, I may try contacting the artist directly through his website. If I get an answer either way, I’ll share it here. Now I’m so curious!!

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So I was prompted to do a little hallmark digging - The cuff has a backward S, so I believe Sue Clayton Folletti from Haines, AK is the artist. The Beaver earrings and Hamatsa brooch are from the same artist, just haven’t identified AMI yet. the little frog pendant isn’t signed, and the thunderbird pendant is by Jean Ferrier.
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Love your jewelry. Your thunderbird could have made an appearance in the bird thread :laughing: I really like him!

And @Jemez2 has a raven, another bird!

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@RedlandMaggie , congrats on identifying the makers of some of your pieces! It’s a great feeling, isn’t it?

Perhaps we should all consider posting our eagles, ravens, thunderbirds and what not on the Birds thread, per @Ziacat :blush:

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P.S. I recently got an answer to what creature is depicted in the pendant by Tlingit artist Norman G. Jackson! I reposted the pic to the Alaskan Facebook group, but this time I just asked people to say what they thought it looked like. When one person told me to contact the artist, I explained that I had tried but had not received a reply. At this point his sister-in-law joined the conversation and told me it is an Orca (killer whale)! So the mystery is now solved. I’m so happy :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: :whale2:

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Oh wow! I wouldn’t have guessed that but I think I see it. Is his eye on the center right? And his teeth through the middle? Gosh I love orcas. We got to see them in Tofino!

It looks to me that it is not a creature but two. Could be of orca and eagle .


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Interesting! I’ve got a little pendant that is two creatures, an orca (I think, as vs a whale) and a raven. Bought it in Nainamo, BC.

Now I want more of this art :grin:

I think I would have guessed eagle if I wasn’t told it was an orca.

Haha just saw the top of the thread didi not read through and see that @chamekke found the orca​:laughing::partying_face: @Ziacat yeah it’s pretty beautiful stuff I will share some of the collection soon in one post I promise :wink:

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@chamekke, my avatar picture is the giant Canada goose sculpture in Wawa, Ontario (wawa means wild goose in Ojibwa). You can see the teeny tiny Canadian flag behind it. The sculpture is huge. We used to stop there every year when I was a child, and I got to go back there again a few years ago.

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I agree with you. Previously I could see elements of orca, eagle and even frog! It made me wonder if it was a transformation piece. One person on that forum thought it was somewhat experimental, and for sure I can see that too.

The more I look at it, the more elusive and interesting it becomes… :thinking:

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I hadn’t realized, @Ziacat ! That’s great. Admittedly I feel a bit ambivalent about Canada geese as nowadays a lot of them just overwinter in our parks, annoying passersby and pooing pretty much everywhere :roll_eyes: but when they’re wild and honking their way through the sky, I absolutely love them! It’s wonderful that you have that magnificent Canada goose sculpture as your avatar :heart:

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