Owl

Indigenous artwork on the Pacific Northwest Coast often incorporates figures and animals that are related to crest symbols. Crests have been passed down through families and have varying meanings depending on the context and association with a nation, clan, or family. The figures depicted in contemporary Northwest Coast Indigenous artwork also have varying meanings but there are some common characteristics from a range of sources, including oral histories and artist descriptions.

Owl is a nocturnal hunting bird found on the Northwest Coast; however, it is an uncommon depiction in Northwest Coast art. Among the Gitxsan, Owl is a family crest symbol and therefore more frequently seen. The Gitxsan village of Kispiox, for example, has many depictions of Owl on its totem poles. Some nations, such as the Kwakwaka’wakw, believe that the sound of the Owl was a call to summon the spirit world. Owl can be identified by large forward-facing eyes, a small, hooked beak, and pointed ears which may acknowledge its acute hearing.