Large 30" by 30" red cedar panel carved and painted with a traditional Kwak'waka'wakw Killer Whale design by Lawrence Scow. The split design shows both sides of the whale - the entire whale on one surface.
In Northwest Coast Native art, the face on a killer whale's tail is a powerful symbol of transformation and the connection between the human, the animal and spirit worlds. It represents the belief that humans and whales are closely related, and that humans can transform into whales and vice versa. The face on the tail is often depicted as a human face, and it is believed to be the face of a person who has transformed into a whale.
The raven's head in the killer whale's pectoral fins is a visual representation of this connection. It suggests that the killer whale a wise and spiritual being. The raven's head also represents the ability of the killer whale to transform, just as the raven can transform into different shapes and sizes.
