Salmon is fundamental to all coastal peoples, and is a symbol of regeneration, health and life. Many myths tell of people taken to the undersea world of the Salmon and return with secret knowledge and powers. Salmon have always been viewed as the life force for Indigenous communities. Salmon is often represented by scales, small fins and striated tail fin.
Thunderbird is the illustrious ancestor and crest of many prominent human lineages. Large enough to hunt whales, the Thunderbird is a powerful being associated with power, change and the sky in myths throughout the Northwest Coast. Often depicted with a sharply hooked beak, horns and large ears and is sometimes represented as having teeth.
Human heroes and human-like personifications of sun and wind are common in Northwest Coast iconography. Human faces hidden in other crests reveal the transformative ability of all animals.
