Thunder Lizards

Susan Point (1985) noted that this print is a traditional piece taken right from a spindle whorl and that Michael Kew identified the subject of this design as a thunder lizard for her. She adds that "when I started out it was more or less copying, right from the whorl. At that time I didn't know what Salish Art was. All the designs I've done that are traditional are right from the whorls, and I really can't say too much as to the story behind them. Very few people know the actual history behind each design."

contemporary art; traditional motifs; shamanism

Barnett (1955) notes that mythical serpents are almost exclusively represent the spirit power of shamans. He reports that there are two kinds of lizards - one has two heads and the other only one. "Both were whizzing, whining, flying beasts that lived in the water, but they sometimes appeared on land. They could split rocks in passing through them. If an unprepared person saw one or even crossed its trail on land, his arms, legs and neck contorted awfully and he died... One form was associated with lightning. It was pursued by the thunderbird, and it split trees when it struck them, leaving scales and bark lying about which were dangerous for the layman to touch (1955:147)."

Silkscreen print of four lizards and three human faces in turquoise ink on a white background. The three faces are arranged vertically along the midline of the print. There are two lizards on either side of the faces, oriented in different directions - the inner ones face up, the outer ones face down. The tails of the two inside lizards rest underneath the arms of the bottom most figure, while the legs and arms of these two lizards separate the faces from each other. Inscription written in pencil along the bottom of the print.