Doug Zilkie is a non-Indigenous artist who began his career as an assistant to Haida master artist, Bill Reid. He worked with Reid on several major commissions, including being one of the eighteen artisans employed for the creation of the monumental sculpture The Spirit of Haida Gwaii. Zilkie has also worked with his friend and mentor, Don Yeomans, on numerous projects. Following the completion of The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, Zilkie was offered a position as caretaker for an island fishing lodge in receivership; he moved his young family to be the sole inhabitants, a temporary posting that would last for several years. The island had stands of great forest that he was welcome to harvest, provided it was for sculptures being created while stationed at the camp. Zilkie was allowed to remove only sculptures finished or in progress and asked not to leave with a stockpile of cut cedar. He roughed out a number of large-scale pieces (in various stages of completion, which he took home and finished at a later date). This process allowed him to place large, extraordinary pieces on the market, all within a relatively short period of time.

This war helmet is a variation on northern style helmets used in battles; these often had an attached visor for mouth and neck protection. Further body armor was constructed from hides with hard wooden plates (often carved and painted). Some of these battles were fought one-on-one by warriors from two rival nations — demanding a show of superior artistry as well as battle skills. Elements such as the horsehair inlays could reference hair harvested from slaves taken as a spoil of war, and the operculum shell inlay may reference access to shells through trade routes and alliances with other villages and chiefs. 

Gary Wyatt