This small Octopus Hat sculpture in yew wood is hand-carved by Haida artist Ron Russ. The octopus has ivory and abalone inlaid eyes. This small sculpture measures about 3 inches (7.5cm) in height and 2 inches (5cm) in width. A display stand in yew wood that was handmade by Haida artist Darrell White accompanies the artwork.
Ron shared that his inspiration for this piece comes from a tale from the Haida Lazy Son-in-Law story. In times past, Haida youths would be taught how to find and hunt octopuses. It is said that if you use a big rock to knock upon the house of an octopus, the octopus will come out to investigate. Well, in this story, the youth picks up a large stone to knock upon the house. Sure enough, the Octopus appears and the youth goes to grab it, but upon doing so gets scared, screams out, and throws the Octopus into the air. The bemused Octopus, unaccustomed to travelling by air, lands upon the youth's cedar hat, giving everyone present a good laugh.
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