First Nation Woodcarver, Nelson

First Nation Woodcarver, Nelson is Very Talented – 

Life is interesting. Sometimes things happen for a reason and maybe there is that element of how things were just meant to be… we call it, Kismet. Our son, Ross had a birthday coming up so we were on the lookout for a memorable gift. During our stay in Victoria, we had lots of time to think about this and do the legwork. He and Sarah were expecting their second child shortly after his birthday, a new playmate for their firstborn, Silas. One day, while walking the waterfront, in downtown Victoria we came across Nelson, a First Nation woodcarver. Nelson, with his ever-present smile and pleasant demeanor, sells his carvings in his open-air shop at the base of the inner harbor in front of the Empress Hotel most of the year. We immediately took a liking to Nelson as he explained to us the First Nation meaning behind each of his carvings. On our second stop to visit with Nelson, he introduced us to his carving mentor and friend, who sells his carvings in the same location. Nelson’s friend’s name is Silas, the same name as our Grandson, but not a very common name. Nelson was working on a new carving of a raven ((photo below – bottom right) and after he explained its meaning, we knew this had to be the perfect gift for Ross. We also picked out one for ourselves, a salmon (photo below – top right). The raven carving was unfinished when we decided to buy it, so we discussed the colors we would like and Nelson promised to have it completed in a couple of days.

Nelson described his new carving of the raven holding a pod this way, “A raven is bringing the first man into the world inside of a clamshell.” I mention this as being the perfect gift for our son not only because he’s already a father, but because he is in the process of becoming a father again, bringing his second child into the world. Granted he is not a raven and the delivery method is via his wonderful partner, Sarah, however, the symbolism of the carving seemed to hit home for us, besides all that, how often does one get to give a handmade gift with so much first-hand knowledge of the creator.