| Summary: | Number 75 of 160. From the Artist: "The loon is an ancestor of the Village Island people. An ancestor named Gi'gagawe' transformed from a loon into a man to start up a clan. The people who descended from him had the right to wear the loon as a crest. Many noble families married to receive this prestigious prerogative. William is the keeper of the loon helmet. This dance privilege was passed to his maternal, great-grandfather as a dowry from his maternal great-grandmother, whose people descend from this story. The loon is the messenger and represents the wealth under the ocean. This print is very strict Kwakwaka' wakw formline, and I feel that this ancient style of designing is not displayed as much today. I honour all the contemporary work of today, but I just wanted to reflect the 'old school' of traditional formline." About the Artist: "William Wasden Jr. (Wak'analagalis) is a member of the 'Namgis of the Kwakwaka'wakw people, and is a descendant of the Alfred, Hunt and Cook families. He can also trace his ancestry to the Tlingit of Alaska and the Mowachat of the West Coast. He has been initiated into the hamat'sa society, the highest ranking of the complex dance societies of the Kwakwaka'wakw. His artisitic abilities have been refined through working with Chief Doug Cranmer, Don Yeomans, Bruce and Wayne Alfred and with Beau, Francis and Simon Dick. Wasden's traditional influences include Bob Harris, Herbert Johnson, Mungo Martin, Willie Seaweed, Henry Speck and George Walkus. Wasden works full-time at his art in a variety of media, and has a great interest in singing and in preserving the songs of his people." Information supplied by the Ancestral Spirits Gallery, Port Townsend, WA. Ancestral Spirits Gallery, 701 Water Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368. 368-385-0078. Omnibus@olympus.net http://www.ancestralspirits.com Loon is one of five pieces by William Wasden Jr. donated by Norman and Louise Rose. The others are titled "Butterfly & Moth" and "Dragonfly & Bee."
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