This double-sided Orca with Raven Fin Pendant has been masterfully hand-carved in argillite by Darrell White from the Haida Nation. Darrell is a master of creating miniature argillite sculptures and delights in unexpected details and intricate inlay. This exceptional work is richly embellished, incorporating 14 karat gold, 15 onlays of mammoth ivory, 3 inlays of catlinite, and 8 inlays of abalone into the argillite sculpture. The pendant comes with a small yew wood, mammoth ivory, and metal stand that displays the pendant as a delightful small sculpture when it is not being worn. This is a beautiful example of contemporary sculpture that captures the power, myth, and meaning of a Haida legend on a miniature scale.

Design elements on the body of the orca incorporate a human face with abalone eyes carved around the blow hole, and a dorsal fin featuring a Raven design with a catlinite tongue. The Raven is holding The Light in its beak, which is made of abalone and 14 karat gold inlays.

The Orca with Raven Fin sculpture is inspired by the Haida legend of Raven-Fin and Noisy-Fin recorded in the Jesup North Pacific ​Expedition, Haida texts, by John R. Swanton in 1908.

In the story, a talented carver and painter named Go'ttca who is left behind after a sea-lion hunting trip is able to carve two supernatural killer whales out of yew wood that come to life to help him when he throws them into the sea. The people of Go'ttca's village believed that he had perished but Go'ttca instructs Raven-Fin and Noisy-Fin to provide ten whales for Go'ttca's village during a time of hunger. Go'ttca then joined the Chief of the Undersea after instructing the people to take up residence in two chiefly houses, not just one. The story of Raven-Fin continues after his brother Noisy-Fin is killed by a monstrous Octopus or Devil-Fish that is killing many sea creatures and Haida people. Raven-Fin calls upon all the sharp-toothed creatures of the sea to destroy the Octopus that had killed his brother Noisy-Fin and brought havoc to the local people. --Swanton, 1908

The pendant, excluding the stand, measures approximately 2 inches or 5 centimeters high, 2 1/8 inches or 5 1/2 centimeters wide, and 1/2 of an inch or 1 1/4 centimeters thick. When resting on the stand, the carving measures approximately 3 5/8 inches or 9 1/4 centimeters high, 2 7/8 inches or 7 1/4 centimeters wide, and 1 1/4 inches or 3 1/4 centimeters deep.