Small Argillite Haida Ancestor Spirit Pendant 1979 Harold Yeltatzie

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Small Argillite Haida Ancestor Spirit Pendant 1979 Harold Yeltatzie:
$350.00

This extremely well-carved Human pendant measures 2” x 1 ½” x 3/8”. It was carved around 1979 by First Nations Haida artist Harold Yeltatzie and is signed.The Haida Nation is renowned for its beautiful \"black slate\" or argillite carvings. The Haida began carving argillite in response to the early curio trade of the 1820\'s, amongst British explorers and traders. Soon the artistic accomplishments of the Haida in the use of materials such as wood, horn and stone included this new medium. While argillite used to be known as a form of tourist art, it has grown to become one of the most sought after art forms in North American First Nations art. The argillite used by Haida carvers is a dark grey carbonaceous shale found at Slatechuck Creek on Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia. Argillite is a relatively soft stone to carve, although it is difficult to obtain large pieces from the quarries. It is also a very fragile stone. The supply of argillite is not in any apparent danger of being exhausted, and only the Haida people can carve it by British Columbian law. Apart from small totem poles, the primary objects carved from argillite include plates with incised designs, pendants, pipes, small boxes and sculptural figures. Some carvers give their work a high polish with emery cloth or other materials which enhance the dark, rich qualities of the stone. Even today, argillite continues to be carved exclusively by Haida artists both on Haida Gwaii (their homeland) and in the Vancouver and Victoria areas. Ancestors are very important to the Northwest Coast cultures; a human portrait often represents an ancestor figure, who is no less real for being mythical. Human features commonly mingle with those of other creatures, a formal convention that may represent birthright, kinship, supernatural status, and/or spirit alliances. Decorations on a portrait may be symmetrical or asymmetrical, abstract or representational, and often refers to clan crests or spirit helpers. Free-standing human figures are often representational of guardians or welcome figures. They may be accompanied with personifications of the Environment (sun, moon). Where the human appears with an animal characteristic, like a dorsal fin, it indicates that the human is transforming or its nature is other than human. Two or three human figures wearing high hats are watchmen. When perched on top of a house, they are said to alert the owner of an approaching enemy. In northern art, the faces of humans usually carry distinctive eyebrows, the eyes are not set in ovoids, ears are seldom present, and often a human hand is shown. A labret (lip ornament) in the lower lip identifies the person as a woman. To bring the old legends back to life, contemporary artists are, in some regions, creating a new tradition by featuring people as the subject matter.\"Haida argillite\", \"argillite orca\", \"argillite whale\", \"Haida slate\", \"slate totem pole\", \"Marcel Russ\", \"Ed Russ Haida\", \"Jay Simeon\"