Gitxsan
Red Cedar
28" x 26" x 4"
SOLD
This panel shows my Gitxsan tribe's legendary character Wiigyet's (BigMan) Red Haired Wife and tons of fish. Wiigyet never could fill his stomach, but He never stopped trying. Then one day He met this woman who was making smoked fish. He fell in love and soon they were married. This woman was very unusual, not just for her red hair. She was secretly a magic person from the Fish people and she could fill Wiigyet's stomach. So life became good and Wiigyet and His wife lived happily for a long time. Wiigyet really really wanted red hairs and He told His wife. The next day Wiigyet woke up with red hairs on His head. Some time later Wiigyet was walking through their smoke house that was filled with fish. He accidentally touched a fish with His red hairs and this made Him mad. He cursed and insulted the greasy fish, His wife heard His mean words and she saw Him throw the fish on the ground. To behave like that was to bring bad luck on the fishery and the people. Red silently put down her knife and walked to the edge of the river, turned back into the fish that she really was, and then she jumped in the water. Then all the fish in the smoke house came alive and made their way back into the river too. That left Wiigyet all by Himself, and then all His red hairs fell out and disappeared into thin air. Then Wiigyet knew that His insults to the fish had brought this catastrophe upon Himself.
Fish has been the main ingredient for most of my cooking life. I would be dead without my fish. I used to quit carving so I could fish all summer up here. I would drive around the village and get a truck full of kids and take them to a fishing hole nearby. They would stay on shore and watch me clean off the net. Then I would get them all cleaning the fish and load it all on the truck. Then I would ask them who needs a fish. So we would go to all of their Grannies' houses and deliver fish and get orders for more and instruction of where to deliver more. I was keeping the kids close to their elders and close to the fish.
- Ya’Ya (Charles Heit)
