ON SALE. The regular price is $2000. 2" x 6 1/2" silver bracelet with 14 kt gold eyes. Also available as a custom order in your choice of size and materials.
2" silver / gold bracelet hand carved by Mathew Baker (Squamish / Kwak'waka'wakw).
Owls are silent night hunters with exceptional hearing that helps them locate prey. They have powerful feet with sharp talons, and beautiful feathers which blend in with their environment. Indigenous people respect the owl’s hunting power and strong spiritual presence.
Owls are believed to stand at the gateway between this world and the next one. They are believed to have special powers and gifts due to their connection with the spirit world. They can relay messages from ancestors. Owl spirits can help shamans to travel between worlds. Some people fear them because they believe owls bring messages of approaching death.
The owl is a significant family crest among the Gitxsan. There are many images carved on totem poles and illustrated on button blankets. Its large eyes and the ability to turn its head almost around are emphasized in the artwork.
There is an Indigenous story about how the owl got his beautiful feathers and raven became black. During early times all animal and birds were white. Raven and owl were bored with the sameness. Raven had an idea that the two friends would use charcoal and berries to paint each other. Raven wanted to go first. He was eager to show off his artistic talents. Owl patiently sat while raven created his masterpiece. He painted intricate patterns on his feathers and striking rings around his eyes. When raven finished owl looked at his reflection in a pool and was very happy with raven’s work. He asked raven to sit still while he repaid the favour. But raven was impulsive and impatient. He was in a hurry to see how he’ll look. He kept fidgeting and moving around asking owl to hurry up. Owl grew frustrated. He tried his best to give raven a fine look, but raven kept smudging the paint by moving around. Finally owl lost his patience and dumped a pot of charcoal dust over him covering all of his white feathers. To this day raven remains black.
