NORTHWEST COAST SYMBOLS

BEAVER

Industrious. Resourceful. Creative. Determined.

BEAR

Strength. Introspection. Learned humility. Motherhood & teaching.

BUMBLEBEE

Honesty & pure thinking. Willingness & drive.

COPPER

A symbol of wealth, status, and prestige on the Northwest Coast, coppers are engraved with the crests and history of a family. As coppers are transferred in ownership between high-ranking families during ceremony, they increase in value and develop a rich history.

DOGFISH

Persistence & strength. Innate leadership.

EAGLE

Honor. Power. Leadership. Wisdom. The eagle flies high above the world, possessing a broad perspective of it all.

EAGLE FEATHER

Honoring. Respect. Strength.

FROG

Transformation. Duality. Frogs occupy both land and water, traveling between the two worlds. They communicate with beings from both, and serve as mediators.

HALIBUT

Strength & stability

HAWK

A messenger, often from the spirit world and the ancestors. Strength.

HERON

Patience. Grace.

HUMMINGBIRD

Agility. Love. Beauty. Among the more northern nations, the Hummingbird is seen as a messenger. If he appears during a time of great sorrow or pain, healing will soon follow. He also symbolizes the fragility of nature and all living things.

KILLER WHALE

Beauty and power. Traveler & guardian. The Haida believe that killer whales are human counterparts who have their own complex societies beneath the sea. Among the Kwakwaka-wakw, killer whales are thought to be ancestors reincarnated.

LOON

Peace. Tranquility. Generosity.

MOON

Protector. Guardian.

RAVEN

A universal cultural hero on the Northwest Coast. Raven is the Trickster, the Transformer. He is associated with Creation. According to some stories, Raven brought light to the world, placing the sun, moon, and stars in the sky.

SALMON

Dependability & Renewal. A Provider. Salmon is a major source of sustenance on the Northwest Coast. Salmon is considered a gift to the people, honored in stories and ceremonies. Many communities regard the salmon as deceased relatives returning to feed the living. In First Salmon ceremonies, the first catch of the season is eaten in ceremony, and all the bones are carefully returned to the sea so that the salmon will return to feed the people the following year.

SUN

Provides the earth with healing energy and life. According to some oral traditions, Raven tossed the Sun into the sky, where it remains today. For other communities, their first human ancestors transformed from the sun.

THUNDERBIRD

Power. Strength. Leadership. The Thunderbird lives high in the mountains. According to some traditions, Thunderbird causes thunder when he flies or ruffles his feathers. When he blinks his eyes, he causes lightning. He is so huge; he can easily pick up a Killer whale in each talon.

WOLF

Represents intelligence and leadership. Wolf is a pathfinder, the forerunner of new ideas, and a patient teacher. Within a wolf pack, there may be individualism, but there is also a predominant sense of family. Wolves mate for life and thus represent loyalty and family values.