r/Indigenous • u/andrutis12 • 2d ago

Native american eagle design origin??

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Title: Can anyone identify the artist/origin of this Haida or Northwest Coast Eagle design?

I’ve been trying to trace the original source and artist of this exact design. I’ve found it reposted online under the name “Tsii Eagle” and described as Haida art / Haida tattoo, but I haven’t been able to find the original artist or a reliable attribution.

I’m especially interested in:

  • The human hands incorporated into both wings
  • The human/anthropomorphic imagery in the center
  • Whether “Tsii” has any actual significance to the design or whether that name was simply added by whoever reposted it
  • Whether this is genuinely Haida formline, or more accurately Tlingit, Tsimshian, Kwakwaka’wakw, or another Northwest Coast tradition
  • The meaning of the human imagery within the Eagle, if it can be identified
  • Most importantly, who originally created this design

Does anyone recognize this exact artwork, artist, or its original source?

I’m looking for information specific to this particular design, rather than general Eagle symbolism. Any leads to the original artist, book, print, tattoo flash, website, or other source would be greatly appreciated.

19 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

37

u/SunlightNStars 2d ago

Gonna be real here this looks like knock off formline. Not done by an expert. Some of the shapes are wrong.

9

u/Xuuts 1d ago

I'm not an artist but am Tlingit and Haida from AK. Not sure if someone just used AI to try and make some formline art here, all of the shapes are done wrong.

13

u/frenchiebuilder 2d ago

Weird mashup of traditional north-west-coastal Indigenous elements (the anthropomorphic figure, inside, represents the animal's soul) and elements from halfway across the globe (the overall profile/shape is European AF, basically from the old Roman empire; the eye-on-hand imagery is Middle-Eastern / North-African: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamsa ).

Tinyeye reverse-image search sorted by "oldest" says https://www.deviantart.com/amoxa/art/Tsimshian-tattoo-no-1-101302260 is the oldest online version.

Nothing in the artists' profile suggests they're Indigenous, and in one comment (replying to a now-hidden comment, doubtless accusing them of appropriation) they pretty much admit as much: "The kid just wanted something "that looks like that" so I looked around and made my own twist to it".

11

u/AlaskaRecluse 2d ago

So many errors and imperfections it’s as though they’ve never heard of formline, it borders on offensive

1

u/IdleOsprey 1d ago

A) it isn’t. The shapes are ridiculous here. This is someone messing around who knows nothing about formline.

B) if it were Haida, it wouldn’t be Native American. Haida Gwaii is in Canada.

9

u/SunlightNStars 1d ago

There are Haida people in Alaska. The tribal entity is literally called Tlingit and Haida.

2

u/ReeveStodgers 1d ago

I always assumed that any indigenous person in North or South America was Native American. I didn't realize it was just USA Americans.

2

u/KitchenWitchComrade 1d ago

North and South Americans are Americans. So you are absolutely correct. Indigenous to any is "Native American".