Article & photos by Lenora A. Hayman.
What a pleasure to welcome Maori Master Carver Rex Homan from Tauranga, New Zealand, back to the Spirit Wrestler Gallery, in Vancouver’s Gastown, for his 2nd solo show “Raven Dreaming (A Gathering of Spirits: Pacific Northwest Coast Birds) from March 31-April 21, 2012.
His 1st show in 2008 ” The Birds of Tane” (Nga Manu a Tane”) featured the unique birds of N.Z. and their inclusion in Maori legends.
This time Rex paid homage to our Pacific Northwest Coast birds, many described in First Nation legends and dances. Rex incorporated Maori designs, such as a moko tattoo on the face of Becker, the Burrowing Owl, rather than borrowing First Nation delineations. Becker, carved in tribute to Becker, the live mascot for the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society in Oliver, British Columbia, reminded me of the wee Morepork owl in N.Z. The Northwest Coastal First Nation members provided the traditional legends accompanying many pieces. Rex’s birds emerged life-like, from recycled Kauri, Totara and Matai wood.
According to a First Nations legend, Victoria Peak, the 3rd highest Vancouver Island Mountain is the home of the mythical Thunderbird. Thunder was created from the beat of the wings and lightning flashed from the wolf-headed lightning snakes worn as a belt under its wings. Rex showed his Thunderbird’s strength lifting an orca (killer whale) from the sea and carrying it to his mountainous feeding ground.
In the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter had a pet Snowy Owl called Hedwig. Snowy Owls nest on the ground in the Arctic area of Canada and Alaska and when their diet of native lemmings dwindle during the winter, they fly south for their food. Last December, Snowy Owls were sighted in BC’s Boundary Bay. The Inuit (Eskimo) believe that the Uppik (Snowy Owl) carries the spirit away when we die.
The crow is often mistaken for a raven. The Nuu-chah-nulth or Nootka comprising of 14 Nations on the West Coast of Vancouver Island call the crow the Ka-in-kus or female doctor. In Rex Homan’s Crow Medicine Woman (Northwestern Crow) he has inserted amongst the feathers a woman’s face in honour of her ability to heal.
Bald Eagles, the national symbol of the U.S.A. are not bald, but the name is derived from the former meaning of the word “whiteheaded”. According to the Nuu-chah-nulth, the eagle “borrowed” the eyes of the snail in order to see clearly “the house in the sky” and the rascal never returned the loan! I loved the Assailant -Bald Eagle with his magnificent, outstretched, aluminium talons, his “eagle eye” and mighty wings.
For those who did not have the privilege of attending the exhibit, Kenji Nagai has beautifully photographed many of the 38 birds in the book “Raven Dreaming”. When I have international visitors, I always take them to the Spirit Wrestler Gallery which honours the cross-cultural communication between the Inuit, the Northwest Coast Nations and the N.Z. Maori Artists. Nigel Reading, Derek Norton and Gary Wyatt are highly knowledgeable and welcoming. www.spiritwrestler.com 47 Water St. Vancouver V6B 1A1 Canada 604-669-8813
All Photos by Lenora A. Hayman.