"Spirit Bear Family” is an original mask hand-carved from Red Cedar and signed by the artist. It has been sanded smooth, detailed with black, red, and white paint, and then waxed to a shine. This mask depicts a mother bear holding a salmon in her mouth while her two cubs are depicted in her ears.
Kermodei, also known as spirit- or ghost-bears, are rare white bears that live in the rainforests along the central coast of BC. Local native legends say that Raven, the Creator, went among the bears and turned every tenth bear white to serve as a reminder of a time when the Earth’s great glaciers covered the landscape. Raven also decreed that these bears would live forever as a symbol of harmony.