Cod Fish Carving
Cecil Dawson Cod Fish Carving
NOS Beautiful, original and signed 18 1/2 inches long by 7 1/4 inch wide cedar wood plaque with his depiction of '' Cod Fish'' in the style of the Kwakuitl nation.
This beautiful cedar wood plaque is signed by Hereditary Chief and artist Cecil Dawson and is ready to hung on a wall.
Codfish were an important food item for coastal Native American tribes, but do not play a very important role in Native American mythology. When codfish appear in Native American legends, their role is usually simply as something that other characters are eating or fishing for. Some Nuu-chah-nulth tribes tell the story that a lunar eclipse is the result of a codfish trying to swallow the moon. Some Native Alaskan fishermen make a special offering of the first cod they catch each season, similar to how it is done for salmon and halibut. Codfish is used as a clan crest in some Northwest Coast tribes, such as the Tlingit, and can sometimes be found carved on totem poles.
Wood Carver, Painter, First Nations, Pryrographic Woodburner
Port Alberni, British Columbia, Canada • Kwakuitl Nation
Born into a family of artists, Cecil Dawson began his artistic career at a very young age. His grandfather Jimmy Dick, a totem and mask carver, taught Cecil the intricacies of carving. Cecil also spent time under the tutelage of his cousin, mask carver Simon Dick. Other masters who influenced Cecil's artistic gifts were his great uncles Willie Seaweed, Henry Speck, and Dick Hawkins.
Cecil is from the Kwakwaka'wakw First Nation. His father is head chief of the Mountain Goat Hunter clan and his mother comes from the Wolf clan. Cecil's cultural involvement is important to him; he is a historian and an initiated Hamatsa dancer.
Cecil's great labour of love is to replicate his family's masks and bring them back into ceremonial use once again. By doing so, he honours his cultural and traditional values. Cecil has a strong sense of propriety and will not copy from a book. His pieces are unique and to his own style, demonstrating a deeply rooted understanding of his culture.