Northwest Coast First Nations art by Gilbert Dawson - KULUS mask

KULUS is hand-carved by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Gilbert Dawson. It has been carved from red cedar and painted in black, red, and robin blue acrylic paint with locally harvested red cedar .. This KULUS Mask by Gilbert Dawson represents 

Kulus, a mythical figure from Indigenous oral traditions that resembles a smaller version of the Thunderbird. Distinguished by a thick layer of white down rather than feathers, this celestial being frequently struggles with the heat generated by its heavy coat. To find relief, the creature removes its avian exterior to reveal a human form underneath. This shape-shifting ability is central to many cultural origin stories where the being descends from the heavens to establish ancestral lineages. Ultimately, the passage characterizes Kulus as a foundational progenitor who transitioned from the divine realm to start various earthly clans.