NOIRTHWEST COAST WHALING STATUE

Description

MANY TRIPS BACK TO IDAHO IN THE 1970S -1990S WE WOULD FLY INTO BOISE. OUR FIRST STOP WOULD BE MY AUNT ILA. OUR NEXT STOP WOULD ALWAYS BE OUR FAVORITE ANTIQUE SHOP. I BELEIVE IT WAS ON BROADWAY. IT HAS BEEN SO LONG AGO, I THINK IT WAS ON BROADWAY. A NICE ELDRLY MAN RAN THE SHOP. HE HAD INCREDIBLE NATIVE AMERICAN ANTIQUES. ON EACH TRIP WE WOULD ALWAYS BUY SOMETHING. A RUG. A BASKET, SOME NATIVE AMERICAN ITEM. WE ALSO COLLECTED FOLK ART OF ANY KIND. ON ONE OF OUT TRIPS WE BOUGHT A THREE PHASE CHIEFS BLANKET AND I NOTICE A STRANGE WOOD PIECE I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A FOLK ART WOOD PIECE. IT WAS ABOUT 25 INCHES TALL. THE OWNER SMILED AND AND ASKED IF I HAD EVER SEEN ONE BEFORE, I HAD NOT. HE SAID IT WAS A NORTHWEST COAST CARVED SHRINE FIGURE. IT DID NOT LOOK NORTHWEST COAST TO ME, BUT HE SAID IT WAS. IT WAS A NORTHWEST COAST PAINTED COLOR. HE SAID THAT A WOOD FIGURES LIKE THIS ONE WERE BELIEVED TO LURE WHALES TO SHORE. THIS WOOD CARVING IS VERY OLD WITH MUCH WEATHERING. WE HAVE OWNED IT FOR MANY DECADES. NEXT YEAR I WILL BE NINETY. WE HAVE SOLD MOST OF OUR COLLECTION. THIS IS ONE OF THE LAST. WHEN HE TOLD ME IT WAS NORTHWEST COAST I BELEIVED HIM. SO HERE IT IS. MANY YEAR LATER I SAW A PHOTO OF ONE THAT HAD SOLD IN NEW YORK  AT AUCTION FOR ALMOST ,000. THAT ONE I SAW WAS NOT PAINTED.
SHIPPING IS FEDX            ADDED A PHOTO OF THE ONE THAT SOLD FOR  00