Kwagiulth Moon and Sun Mask by master artist Calvin Hunt

• Nation: Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl) First Nations
• Artist: Hunt, Calvin
• Type: Mask

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Calvin just brought us this absolutely mesmerizing piece of Indigenous Art - don't miss out on this one, it will move fast. Calvin's works are highly sought after.... and with the price we are asking, you can be assured it's a great investment....

Large (24") red cedar Moon and Sun Mask by master artist Calvin Hunt, Chief Tlasutiwalis, Kwaku'l, Fort Rupert and Hereditary Chief Nasnamus, Mowochaht, Friendly Cove (please read his biography provided below - very interesting)

The quality of Calvin's art is so superb. The expression just so powerful. The painting detailed and absolutely perfect. This Mask is easy recognizable as one of his pieces of art. Traditional and elegant. Beautiful cedar, carved to perfection, truly HIGHEST QUALITY CRAFTMANSHIP. 

The painting is depicting the Raven which brings the light. Do you see him? The raven's beak on the moon's right eye, the raven's wings and craws are seen around the moon's mouth. The rim is depicting the sun, rays painted in a rich red. Signed and dated at the back, prepared for wall hanging 

Measurements: 24" diameter, 5" deep, the moon's face is 16", just the perfect balance. 

Meaning: Moon plays a big part in the peace dance of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples in which a human leaves the ceremonial big house and returns transformed into Moon. Moon also appears frequently in the winter ceremony of the Nuxalk. Most tribes thank the Raven for the gift of Moon, and sometimes stories describe Moon as a chip off of Sun, which Raven clumsily dropped.

The legend: The story of "Raven giving the Lights" is legendary. An old man lived in a house on the bank of a river with his only child - a daughter. At this time, it was pitch black everywhere and no one could see anything. So whether she was beautiful or not, there wasn't a way anyone could tell. Thus begins the tale of the Raven and the Sun. It's said that the old man kept the Sun locked in a box which was keeping another box and another, with the smallest one containing all the light in the universe.

The Raven was not satisfied with the state of darkness since it led to his blundering and bumping into everything. This slowed him down in his pursuit of the good things in life, which was what he loved more than getting into mischief. One day he crashed into the old man's house and he heard the man and his daughter talking about the light. He decided he wanted the light for himself so he waited for the daughter to leave the house. He transformed himself into a pine needle to slip into a bucket of water. When the daughter drank the water and swallowed the pine needle, the Raven transformed himself into a tiny human being inside her. When he emerged, he was a very odd looking child, but it was too dark to noticed his long nose and the few feathers still clinging to him.

As the Raven/Child gained the affection of the old man, he devised a plan to get the Sun. He asked for the largest box in the house and upon being refused, he cried and screamed so loudly that the Grandfather gave him the box. After all it was only one and there were so many more. It took many days, but after a few well-executed tantrums the Raven/Child removed all the boxes. When only a few were left, a strange radiance began to suffuse the room. The Raven/Child begged to hold the light for only a few moments, and even though the Grandfather had come to love the Raven/Child with only a glimpse of him, he gave him the light. As the light was passed to him, the Raven/Child transformed into a huge Raven. He snapped up the light and flew up the smoke hole of the house into the darkness of the world.

The Raven now rejoiced with his new possession and was having such a good time that he did not see the Eagle come upon him. In a panic, he swerved and dropped almost half the light he was carrying. It fell to the rocky ground and broke into pieces. They bounced back into the sky and remain there to this day as the Moon and the Stars. Meanwhile, the Raven was pursued to the edge of the world and, exhausted, he finally let go of his last piece of light. It fell to the East and that is how the Raven gave us the Sun.

Note: USD amounts estimated based on Bank of Canada average exchange rate, updated weekly, Invoice in CAD, overseas shipping costs $320 CAD added at check-out.

We guarantee the authenticity of every piece of art sold through our Gallery !!! We do not offer reproductions, imported copies, mass-produced, machine made or so called native-inspired/native-style products

Photos of This Piece

About This Artist

Calvin Hunt, (1956): Chief Tlasutiwalis, Kwaku'l, Fort Rupert and Hereditary Chief Nasnamus, Mowochaht, Friendly Cove is the youngest son of Kwagu’l Hereditary Chief Thomas Hunt, and Emma, the daughter of a great Mowochaht Chief and...Artist bio and other available works »