This Undersea World Chief’s Rattle is woven from spruce root and wheat grass by acclaimed Haida artist, Isabel Rorick. Isabel descends from a long line of notable Haida artists, including her mother, Primrose Adams, her grandmother, Florence Davidson, and her great-grandmother, Isabella Edenshaw (wife of renowned carver Charles Edenshaw). On her father’s side, Isabel inherited basketry weaving from her aunt, Delores Churchill, and her grandmother, Selina Peratrovich.

Isabel’s basketry is highly sought after and has been widely exhibited at galleries and museums across North America. Her weavings can be found in collections at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, the Burke Museum in Seattle, and the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau.

This rattle was created in 2011 and is woven from spruce root in a plain twining style with Isabel’s signature of three concentric circles of skip stitch pattern near the top of the rattle. The image on the side of the rattle is applied by a false embroidery method with wheatgrass and depicts a skaana (killer whale). The top of the rattle is decorated with carnelian stones and down, while the base is decorated with carnelian stones, abalone shell, and a handle carved from yew wood. The rattle comes with a custom-made stand signed by Isabel.

–Sarah Raven