Dogfish

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.

Dogfish is a small variety of shark found on the Northwest Coast and is sometimes said to represent assertiveness and persistence. Dogfish, and Dogfish Woman, is an important crest and figure among the Haida, and some Nuu-chah-nulth communities. Dogfish is a favourite subject of renowned Haida artists, Robert Davidson and Bill Reid, who set the precedent for this figure as a common motif in contemporary Northwest Coast art. Dogfish is often portrayed face-on, distinguished by a high, domed head, distinctive gills, triangular teeth, and split pupils.
5 items

Haida Dogfish Woman Pendant
Gina Mae Schubert (Haida)

Artist Statement:Dogfish woman swims hard through the ocean,escaping her masters.Half monster and...

Artist Statement:Dogfish woman swims hard through the ocean,escaping her masters.Half monster and half woman,her nose slices the water, she feels so freeso different, so powerfulthe ocean surges through her mouth,she is driven,with a passion to survive,not looking back on the pain,only moving forward to a new world,a new homeand a new life for all living beings

$4,500.00

Dogfish Brooch, 1959
Bill Reid (Haida)

1959This piece is stored off-site. To arrange a viewing, please contact the gallery directly.Reid...

1959This piece is stored off-site. To arrange a viewing, please contact the gallery directly.Reid's earlier work was in part characterized by his study of Haida artist and Chief, Charles Edenshaw. This particular brooch is styled after an Edenshaw tattoo design and the original sketch is part of the permanent collection of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City.When Reid completed this Dogfish Brooch he told the owner he felt that this was the best piece that he had do...

$110,000.00

Sisters of the Underworld
Robert Davidson (Haida)

1998 Edition 9/75 Available framed for $5,800 CAD. Please contact the gallery directly. Dogfish ...

1998 Edition 9/75 Available framed for $5,800 CAD. Please contact the gallery directly. Dogfish is a small variety of shark found on the Northwest Coast. It is distinguished by its distinctive gills, triangular teeth and split pupils. Dogfish is known to represent assertiveness and persistence.

$5,000.00

Dogfish Plaster
Bill Reid (Haida)

c. 1991 This is a plaster of the yellow cedar Dogfish door that Reid carved in 1968 and which wa...

c. 1991 This is a plaster of the yellow cedar Dogfish door that Reid carved in 1968 and which was used to make an edition of paper casts in 1991.   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 ha...

$90,000.00