Moon (large)

1 3/8" DIA.

A matched pair with the sun, these designs were originally intended for earrings. The human figure in the “moon” is based on a rattle design which is part of a set of ritual artifacts collected by Marius Barbeau at the village of Gitlaxdamix on the Nass River. In my carving this "man in the moon" is holding a moon shaped rattle, but MacDonald suggests that the human figure may "represent a shaman flying through a round doorway (the sky door)..." which leads to the spirit world. The sun is a common crest figure on the coast, believed by the Nuxalk (Bella Coola) to control the destinies of all mortals according to McIlwraith’s The Bella Coola Indians.

Larger view.

My original carving. Material: pipestone.
Click image to enlarge.

My original carvings. Material: pipestone.
Click image to enlarge.