With abalone

Namgis Sea Monster

1 1/2" x 6"

The name ʼNa̱mǥis originates with the story of ʼNamxiyalegiyu – the Halibut-like giant sea monster. Because of a message sent to him by the Creator before the great flood, there was a ʼNa̱mǥis man who knew it was to happen and waited by the ocean for the arrival of a huge sea monster. He was waiting for ʼNamxiyalegiyu, whose name meant “something terrible”.

When the rain began that would cause the flood, ʼNamxiyalegiyu arose from the depths of the ocean. It was so significant in size that when it rose the tides dropped around the entire world. The man climbed onto the sea monster’s back, but ʼNamxiyalegiyu was so gigantic that he seemed only to be a small dot its back. Before submerging, the Creator gave the man supernatural power with which he could breathe underwater. ʼNamxiyalegiyu protected the man under the ocean until the waters went down.

When it was safe, ʼNamxiyalegiyu returned the man to Xwalkw – a village site at the mouth of the ʼNa̱mǥis river. When the man was retuned to his homeland, he looked around to realize that he was alone on the land. He took the name Namukustolis, meaning "Only One in the World". Namukustolis was very lonely and after some time snared birds and transformed them into people and this is how Namukustolis began the ʼNa̱mǥis tribe within the Kwakwaka’wakw Nation. He kept the great sea monster, ʼNamxiyalegiyu, as the ʼNa̱mǥis crest because it had been his protector and had saved him during the great flood.