Symbolism and Spiritual Arts of the Northwest Coast: A Contemporary Exhibition

        Soul catchers are among the most sacred objects created and used by the Haida, Tlingit and Ts’msyen nations of the Pacific Northwest Coast. The soul catcher was typically worn as an amulet by a shaman, and critically important in their healing practice. Its use stems from the belief that once a soul separates from a physical body, it can cause the person to be vulnerable to illness. Thus, the shaman needs to find the soul, capture it within the soul catcher, and reunite it with its "empty" patient. This tool helped to seek the lost soul, as seen with the eyes shape, so that the shaman could secure the spirit in the hollow tube by plugging the ends with cedar bark. Upon removing the cedar bark, the soul was blown back into its person, reuniting body and soul.

           In the olden days, wolves and people hunter and gather together in pack. Wolves have always been associated with loyalty, fearlessness and education. Some First Nations people even believe that wolves are reincarnation of deceased hunters, and they frequently display wolves at ceremonies. Healers then often take the form of wolf in rituals. The wolf motif here seems to be connected to role of shaman and symbolism of the wolf in Indigenous culture.