Soapstone + Other Stuff!

this is a fine intro to carving stone ..nice work......I now have reason to buy and keep for reshaping all the chipped and broken bookends et al I have passed on at many an auction/yard sale.....onyx is another easily (and attractive) worked stone with less tendency to break.....believe me I have little experience at carving (did an obelisk in 2nd grade from a big bar of IVORY soap!)....but I'm taking the plunge after some sucess with PLAY DOUGH......:)

Thanks for all the kind response to my humble thread everyone! I appreciate it greatly!

Sneakytiki: Thanks for the offer, but I doubt Australian Customs and Quarantine would let that stuff through, not without a body cavity search and I'm just not into that. I don't think I'll personally smoke anything in it anyway. I might put some detergent in it and blow a few bubbles however!

Surf-N-Turf: Thanks mate. "Clean smoke with Soapstone" is good propaganda, but I don't think the anti-tobacco and medical lobby will buy it.

PockyTiki: There's always one isn't there! A dirty mind dragging us straight into the gutter! :lol:
Actually I did notice whilst I was carving a certain phallic-ness apparent in the shape of the pipe's stem. I tried to steer away from it, but I wasn't wholly successful was I? Perhaps with further carving it will reduce the similarities between my pipe and a penis! :lol:

Hula Cat: Thanks! There are many carvable (and better looking) stones out there (I guess playdough's ok :) ). I thought I'd just try soapstone as a starting point before moving on to harder stuff. Upon conducting some research and delving into the history of carving soapstone I've grown somewhat attached to the stuff.
I'd still like to try a harder material, but I've bought a heap of soapstone so I'll be carving it yet for sometime to come! I don't mind in the slightest. :)

Tama: Nothing else in the "pipe-line" as yet. I'm not allowed to carve indoors any more as rock-dust was accumulating on EVERYTHING and my girlfriend was not impressed (and I don't like cleaning). Since I have to carve outdoors and I work all day I can only carve in the evening or on weekends. As you know, living in the southern hemisphere like me, the days are getting cooler and shorter as winter arrives. I don't get as much time to carve as I'd like, but I'm always thinking of it! :)

there are GREAT pieces of sculpture in some of the best museums (especially from Asia) done in soapstone......alabaster and volcanic ash are other easily workable mediums....but rock on with the soapstone....A sculptor told me that one mistake novice carvers make is to attempt harder materials before they have a feel for the craft....it has frustrated many a talent to the point of quiting ....I imagine it could be dangerous also....another hint was to make a small version out of clay to better visualize the piece beforehand.....

On 2007-04-11 20:45, Hula Cat wrote:
another hint was to make a small version out of clay to better visualize the piece beforehand.....

A very good hint for all 'reductive' carvers Hula Cat! Back at 'jade-school' part of the curriculum was to produce drawings from several angles & clay 'marquettes'/models before attempting the final work in stone. It is extra work & the temptation to think 'she'll be right' and blaze into a carving is a strong one, but they really can be life-savers when tackling tricky 3-dimensional pieces...

Tama :)

On 2007-04-11 21:27, Tamapoutini wrote:

A very good hint for all 'reductive' carvers Hula Cat! Back at 'jade-school' part of the curriculum was to produce drawings from several angles & clay 'marquettes'/models before attempting the final work in stone. It is extra work & the temptation to think 'she'll be right' and blaze into a carving is a strong one, but they really can be life-savers when tackling tricky 3-dimensional pieces...

Tama :)

I remember having to do just that in Art class in High School! We were meant to draw what we wanted to sculpt, then produce a sculpture based on our drawings. I cheated and drew my sculpture AFTER I sculpted it! I got top marks! :lol:

I'm afraid I'm one of those cursed with the "she'll be right" attitude. I do start with a bit of an idea about what I want to carve (occasionally I'll sketch something), but the end product is really what the stone wants to be. If it wants to be a load of rubbish then that's the stone's problem! :lol:

Hula Cat: I've seen many works of art carved in soapstone recently and I'm quite amazed at the skill required to produce them (especially ancient carvings). Hopefully I may produce something similar given time and a lot of practice. I'm enjoying soapstone more and more as I get used to it, so I guess that's the first step to improvement.
You don't need to warn me about the dangers of working harder materials before I'm ready by the way. Unfortunately I've attempted improving a few souvenir greenstone hei-tiki I'd picked up in New Zealand... let's just say "improving" ended up being entirely the wrong adjective :(

On 2007-04-12 00:11, Tipua wrote:
I remember having to do just that in Art class in High School! We were meant to draw what we wanted to sculpt, then produce a sculpture based on our drawings. I cheated and drew my sculpture AFTER I sculpted it! I got top marks! :lol:

:lol: You wouldnt be the first to have done that either; it was standard practice for many of the jade students too! The idea is/was for the drawings to go through a series of 'developments' until an amazingly well conceived & thought through idea came to the fore. In actuality, many artists find that their vision arrives 'complete' right from the start & that sneaky reverse-engineering is needed to satisfy those who hand out the grades. I suspected that this was probably a global phenomenon. :lol:

Tama

I've totally done the "thumbnail sketches" after the work was done as well, they ask a fake question, get a fake answer.

I'll usually start a painting with an idea but no drawings, if I do draw it's very simple 30 sec's maybe. Then the painting always changes completely from what the drawing was supposed to be too. People are always asking, what were u trying to express? What's your statement? The damn artwork is the statement, if I wanted to state something I'd say it. The subconscious is usually making a meaning for u while you work, sometimes you dunno what it means for a while but you get it all eventually. But that's MY statement, I don't want everyone else to get the exact same statement, otherwise I'd be a writer.

Nothing wrong with doing sketches 'til u hit on a "clever" idea or make a "statement" but it makes just as much sense to work automatically, this ties into why I don't want to dissect the meaning of everything in my work. Art teaches you things science/words can't. Subconscious symbols...

as a photographer I also found that "the primitive sense of moment" usually worked better than planning the shot ahead of time (but that was with relatively cheap film) I did benefit however from having use of my tools and technique rammed down my throat for years ....So my point is......? it's usually more expensive (and unpredictable) to use rock and some folks just don't "feel it" until they wrap themselves around the project first.....that said, I'm all for the full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes approach!

[ Edited by: Hula Cat 2007-04-12 09:39 ]

[ Edited by: Hula Cat 2007-04-12 09:40 ]

[ Edited by: Hula Cat 2007-04-12 09:41 ]

Yeah man! Just set the artist FREE! :D

Hey all!

I think I've just about finished my soapstone pipe. It needs a little bit more sanding, but I think I'll leave that for later.

I tried to create a marquesan-style tiki face for the front of the bowl. As you can probably see, it's far from perfect. But who needs perfection? Little mistakes, crooked lines, lack of talent - these qualities add character - apparently.
:down:

As I said I might, I carved a spiral (actually a couple entwined), because EVERYONE likes spirals!

After making a stem from a section of bamboo, this is the "finished" product:
:down:

The little men on the either side of the pipe I based on the forest spirits in a japanese manga movie called "Princess Mononoke". I you haven't seen it, I recommend it. It's cool, if a trifle long.
:down:

All it needs now is some kind of carcinogenic substance to smoke in it and this may be me hanging with my buddies in the sun (me on the far right):

A-Ho-YA!

That's a nice pipe! Those spirals call to my Celtic side, old rock art from the the British isles...and everywhere else too. The Japanese guy reads right along with the spiral as a stone glyph. Nice.

I think u might lose the lower lip on that Marq. face and straighten the middle line making it a straight lower lip. It's great as is though, I know it's gonna give u some good smokes.

Damiana is a Chinese smoking tea that's commonly found at oriental markets, great smoke! Kinik kinik is the best though, mmm red willow. That pic. u posted shows some woodland looking warriors by the hair cuts. As a Mohawk descendant I got my first couplah "Mohawks" this yr. Heh heh.

I think I'm gonna have me a smoke right now. Sweet pipe Kola!

Ya-Hey!!
S T

On 2007-04-14 00:59, Sneakytiki wrote:
A-Ho-YA!

That's a nice pipe! Those spirals call to my Celtic side, old rock art from the the British isles...and everywhere else too. The Japanese guy reads right along with the spiral as a stone glyph. Nice.

I think u might lose the lower lip on that Marq. face and straighten the middle line making it a straight lower lip. It's great as is though, I know it's gonna give u some good smokes.

Damiana is a Chinese smoking tea that's commonly found at oriental markets, great smoke! Kinik kinik is the best though, mmm red willow. That pic. u posted shows some woodland looking warriors by the hair cuts. As a Mohawk descendant I got my first couplah "Mohawks" this yr. Heh heh.

I think I'm gonna have me a smoke right now. Sweet pipe Kola!

Ya-Hey!!
S T

Thanks Sneaky!
You're right about the lower lip. I knew I wasn't going to have enough room for the tongue AND the lip, but I just hoped it would work. Unfortunately it didn't. Somehow I think my pic makes it look worse than it actually is though. It's the lighting I tells ya! :)

The main thing is that the pipe should perform its function well. I really don't want to take up smoking however, so stop tempting me! I felt like this when I read Lord of the Rings and everytime Gandalf or one of the hobbits lit up, Tolkien waxed poetical describing the pleasures of smoking. It sounded sooooo nice! But no! I shall not! Get thee behind me Satan! :lol:

You're also correct about that picture depicting Woodland Indians. It's by artist Robert Griffing. He specialises in painting scenes from north-eastern America's early history, particularly the Iroquois nation. He's an amazing artist.

I've had a couple of mohawk-style haircuts in the recent past (I'm too lazy now. I just shave it all off). Although I can't claim any Native American family history, there was that bog-body found in Ireland (Clonycavan man) that sported a mohawk-style hair-do. I guess I can claim him!

Enjoy your smoke!

Tipua,

Sorry about the temptations. I'm one of those bastards that can't seem to get addicted to anything. This is the first time I've smoked my pipe in mo's and I'm on the same pack of ciggies i've had fer months. I smoked a year straight once and went to boot camp for 2 mo's and never had any withdrawals/cravings. I don't smoke too much as I've got an ex smoker fiancee and my kids are often around. The occasional lone smoke and drink is a luxury and rarity for me. I know not everyone is nicotine resistant tho.

Nite,

S T

On 2007-04-14 02:06, Sneakytiki wrote:
Tipua,

Sorry about the temptations. I'm one of those bastards that can't seem to get addicted to anything. This is the first time I've smoked my pipe in mo's and I'm on the same pack of ciggies i've had fer months. I smoked a year straight once and went to boot camp for 2 mo's and never had any withdrawals/cravings. I don't smoke too much as I've got an ex smoker fiancee and my kids are often around. The occasional lone smoke and drink is a luxury and rarity for me. I know not everyone is nicotine resistant tho.

Nite,

S T

It's cool brah. I too don't have an addictive personality. Ok, sure I can have obsessions that flare up, but nothing that long term.
I think being a little bit of a tight-wad helps too. Have you seen the price of cigarettes lately?! I think that will make more people quit than any kind of health concerns! :lol:

Tipua, I am so baaaaaad, I'm supposed to be painting and making a portfolio and I've been working on this piece of pipestone here and there for the last couplah dayz since I saw your first pipe post with tools that would probably get my ass kicked by the carvers 'round here. Not tiki but my first rock carving, using a big file, flat head screwdriver, hammer, hack saw, etc... heh heh. Gotta get to bed.

Nite.

To drown sorrow, where should one jump first and best? "Certainly not water. Water rusts you." -Frank Sinatra

[ Edited by: Sneakytiki 2007-04-14 21:34 ]

Nice Sneaky! Very traditional looking.

I was intrigued by pipestone, so I looked it up on wikipedia and got this:

"Catlinite (also Pipestone) is a type of red, metamorphosed mudstone (argillite) rock occurring in a matrix of Sioux quartzite. The stone is quarried by Native Americans for use as sacred pipes called calumets (Fr: "hollow reed"). The quarries are found and preserved in the Pipestone National Monument outside of Pipestone, Minnesota, in Minnehaha County, South Dakota, and at the Pipestone River in Manitoba, Canada."

I would be interested to know how it compares to carving soapstone. Since you only used a file, screwdriver and hammer(!?), I guess it's a soft stone like soapstone. Do Native American's use it for anything else besides pipes? Does it hold detail well like soapstone can?

Sorry for distracting you from your portfolio. I know it can be hard when you know you HAVE to do something, so you just DON'T want to do it! Any kind of distraction can become a major distraction! :)

Tipua, I just used the hammer to break off some big chunks to get it to basic shape., just a couple of pieces I'd almost sawed thru.

Yup, I always find things to do when I've got things to do. (:

I think it's probably comparable to soapstone in hardness.

Calumet actually only refers to the reed or wood part of the pipe but alot of people will call the whole pipe that.

Regards,
S T

Edit: Wanted to add that in Lakota this is called a Wakan Chanunpa or sacred pipe. Also, yes, there are carvings besides pipes made of pipestone. Pipestone is considered sacred so they are usually animals or other things relating to amerind lifeways.

To drown sorrow, where should one jump first and best? "Certainly not water. Water rusts you." -Frank Sinatra

[ Edited by: sneakytiki 2007-04-15 11:55 ]

Aloha all!

I have been thinking a lot of trying out some harder stone for a while - not to take anything away from soapstone. It's a great material and it's been growing on me steadily for the past few months now - but looking at Paipo's work in beach pebbles has inspired me to try something similar (I am in no way delusional that my work could even come close to Paipo's but I thought I'd like to give it a go).
So when a workmate handed me a stone he found and asked if I could do anything with it, I thought I'd give it a shot...

I know this looks rather similar to my easter egg, but I thought I'd go with something I know for my first "hard carve".

I have no idea as to what kind of stone it is. All I know is it's some kind of river pebble and it's HARD! Well harder than I'm used to. It took about twenty times as long as good ol' soapstone, but I guess it will last twenty times as long. If not more...

It's a nice stone all right. Dark with large streaks of a browny-orange.
I don't really want to give it away now, but my plan is to give it back to my workmate. I hope he likes it (especially since I ruined one of my diamond burrs on it. I guess it wasn't a very good burr... But still!)
:)

Aloha Tiki Tangata!

I've recently decided to "broaden my horizons" and try my hand at carving other materials lately.
I've tried some harder stone in the form of river pebbles I collected from my local river, the Murrumbidgee. Being an ancient volcanic site, the pebbles around here come in a huge variety; from pumice-like to almost jade-like in appearance. They are - to the detriment of my diamond burrs - all universally HARD however. :(

This is a pendant I carved from one of those pebbles.
:down:

Since I'm now waiting on some more burrs to be delivered, I've picked up some more Hebel.
For those who have never heard of the stuff, Hebel is aerated concrete. It is extremely light, and easy to carve. It has the feel of plaster and is just as messy, so carve outside!
All you need are some cheapo wood chisels and maybe a medium grade sandpaper and that's it. Carve away!

Here's what I did today. :down:

It still needs some work. The eyes need to be better fitted and fixed into place. I'm also thinking of doing some kind of head-dress. Plus the Hebel itself needs to be sealed. Even though I've used Hebel once before, I've never sealed it. I don't actually know how to do it... I'll have to look that up, or better yet, if any one out there has used it before drop me a line!

[ Edited by: Tipua 2007-04-25 03:11 ]

Tipua,

I really dig the pendant your holding in the top pic. Cartoony tiki. Good work.

S
T

On 2007-04-25 04:07, Sneakytiki wrote:
Tipua,

I really dig the pendant your holding in the top pic. Cartoony tiki. Good work.

S
T

Thanks Sneaky!

The pendant fella was fun to do, but he really took his toll on my diamond burrs. I tried some more pebbles, but the poor, worn-out burrs just couldn't cut it... Literally.
Admittedly they were of the famous "El Cheapo" brand, so I'm glad they went as far as they did. I recieved some more burrs of the equally famous "Cheap As Sh*t" brand today (Gawd bless ebay!), so another couple of stones shall get a make-over before these burrs die the death as well(I hope it's a slow one).
I really need to find some sedimentry stone like Paipo's greywacke... although, I'm not sure if that's any easier on his burrs.
I'm afraid I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and buy some quality tools!

On 2007-04-26 03:17, Tipua wrote:
I really need to find some sedimentry stone like Paipo's greywacke... although, I'm not sure if that's any easier on his burrs.
I'm afraid I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and buy some quality tools!

I think the stone you used for that wee character is a very tight/hard jasper! No wonder it ruined your cheap burrs.

I dont think greywacke is too bad; its those quartzy type stones that are some of the hardest on gear. Another sedimentary or silt-stone is argillite - technically a 'metamorphic' rock, as it has been baked hard by techtonic pressure/heat. This is what most Maori adzes were made from. Generally a dull grey/green, sometimes flecked, non-translucent. Its totally non-precious and would be free if you knew of a domestic occurance..?

For cheap-but-GOOD diamond gear, try a 'BUTW diamond' search on eBay. Ive bought off the guy a few times and can highly recommend the solid steel peripheral wheels! Ive never tried his burrs and am always dubious about those no-brand $10 packs of 20assrtd burrs - usually rubbish. Better to buy individually from a reputable manufacturer. Hongia burrs are the business if you can track them down. Worth every penny of the bit extra you will pay, and last for a long time.

Tama :)

*Hebel-jebels! :o

Tipua, I Really love that Hebel piece. he is Actually more of an advanced carving than the added eyeballs would suggest. Has anyone tried mixing some of the saw dust/powder (from sanding this stuff) with water to fill cracks and stuff? If this were my piece I might try a mixture of dust and water or glue and fashion some eye lids and flesh around the eyes to Really make him look scary. The Decoy.Duck carvers do it All the time with plastic wood. they plop in the bird eyeball and add the plastic wood around it until it looks right then they paint it. The hebel would not need paint though.
How ever you finish him, he is really cool and I believe you have a more extensive art background than we know about. :) :) :)

On 2007-04-26 03:50, Tamapoutini wrote:

I think the stone you used for that wee character is a very tight/hard jasper! No wonder it ruined your cheap burrs.

I dont think greywacke is too bad; its those quartzy type stones that are some of the hardest on gear. Another sedimentary or silt-stone is argillite - technically a 'metamorphic' rock, as it has been baked hard by techtonic pressure/heat. This is what most Maori adzes were made from. Generally a dull grey/green, sometimes flecked, non-translucent. Its totally non-precious and would be free if you knew of a domestic occurance..?

For cheap-but-GOOD diamond gear, try a 'BUTW diamond' search on eBay. Ive bought off the guy a few times and can highly recommend the solid steel peripheral wheels! Ive never tried his burrs and am always dubious about those no-brand $10 packs of 20assrtd burrs - usually rubbish. Better to buy individually from a reputable manufacturer. Hongia burrs are the business if you can track them down. Worth every penny of the bit extra you will pay, and last for a long time.

Tama :)

*Hebel-jebels! :o

Hebel-jebels :o exactly! :lol:

Hopefully he won't look so bug-eyed once I create some better recesses for his eyes, cuz he does look pretty freaky, but that's what tiki are all about, no?

Argillite, hey? I think I've heard of that before. I'll have to look around for some lapidary suppliers and see what I can get my hands on. I just wanted to try some local stone as, like Paipo has said, there's just something special about using local stuff.

I've read about the merits of Hongia burrs on yours and Paipo's threads, and now you've convinced me further to invest in some. I believe you've left contact details for a dealer in your stone carving Q+A thread? I'll have to check it out again. I've looked at BUTW stuff once before. I'd buy some wheels, but I don't know how to use that kinda stuff yet! :blush:
I'm a little slow in learning new things, and the whole carving stuff in very new to me. Baby steps, I'm afraid. :)

Cheers Tama!

On 2007-04-26 05:34, Benzart wrote:
Tipua, I Really love that Hebel piece. he is Actually more of an advanced carving than the added eyeballs would suggest. Has anyone tried mixing some of the saw dust/powder (from sanding this stuff) with water to fill cracks and stuff? If this were my piece I might try a mixture of dust and water or glue and fashion some eye lids and flesh around the eyes to Really make him look scary. The Decoy.Duck carvers do it All the time with plastic wood. they plop in the bird eyeball and add the plastic wood around it until it looks right then they paint it. The hebel would not need paint though.
How ever you finish him, he is really cool and I believe you have a more extensive art background than we know about. :) :) :)

Thanks very much Benz! I know I've said it before, but the fact that master-carvers like you, Paipo and Tamapoutini (to name a few) take the time to comment and add encouragement to new carvers like me, really is fantastic and very much appreciated! :) :) :)

I've heard something to the effect that if you take the Hebel dust left over, mix it with something, and apply it to the hebel, it creates a nice, smooth finish... It's what that something IS that I don't remember! I think it's like a regular product, but for the life of me, I just can't remember what it's called! I'm sure I've got it written down somewhere...
Anyway, it's this stuff you can coat the hebel that weather-proofs it (like for garden ornaments) and gives it a smooth finish.
I'll have to have a good look in my "files" for that info (stuffed somewhere amongst the mess in a draw probably).
I think the eyes will look a little better once I fit them properly, but I like your idea about the eye-lids.

I will admit that I've always loved art and making things and I once had aspirations of becoming an Illustrator. Unfortunately that hasn't happened yet (I've discovered that once I HAVE to do something, I just do NOT want to do it). But I still love drawing, and now, carving stuff!
I have used Hebel before, but it wasn't at all tiki-like.
It's this weird three-faced head. I really didn't have a plan, I wanted to do a head, but I couldn't get one side of the face symetrical with the other so I made three separate faces instead! :lol:
:down:

Yikes! I've been rather neglectful to my posting for a while.

I haven't been working on anything for quite some time because it's been just so dang cold for the last couple of months (I'm only allowed to carve outside) as it's winter here in the southern hemisphere.

Not that I think many folks are particularly interested in my dodgy carvings, it's still fun to post stuff!

So here's a series of pictures I found whilst surfing around on the net to fill in some time before it begins to warm up (http://code.oheya.to/ham/sabuandTiki.html).

I don't know what the japanese says (if anyone can read japanese please let me know!) but I just found it amusing regardless.

I'm baffled. :-?

Its a cool tiki what ever it is saying!

Hi Tipua, Very nice soapstone works!

I tried Soapstone too, but found the details were too hard to accomplish and I kept breaking thepieces at the end. So I moved to River Rock and Some Jade. I am tring stones iin the 5 hardness range, some nice pieces on ebay. Keep it up!

Amy

Tipua

I just love the triple head! You have pulled that one off magnificently! Been thinking of making a triple head pendant - less 3D than your work of art - but am stalled in the design process :)

Awesome, well done - love it. . . .

Where is some more?

KS

Just thinking too that you might try plain old cement, plaster or such right from Home Depot or Lowe's. It might be the perfect finish for your hebel stuff and certainly readily available. You could also use tile grout which can be obtained in many different colors. Just mix it up and brush it on and smooth it out with a damp sponge.

Thanks Queen Amy Kamehameha!
I've actually found that soapstone can take quite a bit of detail, but you're definitely right in that soapstone tends to be a tad too breakable. It makes doing a very detailed piece that much more scarier as you never know how close you are to the breaking point until you break it! It's also quite unforgiving if you drop it too! :(

It will never be as good as say jade, but it IS CHEAP! :)

Thanks too Kiwishaman!
There was no planning at all with the triple faced head. It just came from my lack of symmetrical skill.
A triple head pendant would be interesting. Humans just love the number 3 don't they?

And thanks Benzart!
You're advice is always very welcome!
Cement or tile grout (different colors you say! Hmmm...) seems very do-able. I'll have to fight my laziness & forgetfulness and check out my local hardware store.

Cheers everyone!

Aloha all!

Just thought I'd drop in some interesting pics of some soapstone carvings (by other people... I've done nothing new myself!):

Here's some African Long Eared Ladies :down:

And here's a beautiful soapstone carving of an eagle I found on http://www.alaskanativearts.com - a site for northwest American tribal art. :down:

For those of you out there who are thinking that I'm only posting these these pics on a site devoted to Tiki because they're soapstone, and I like soapstone - well you are right - but also please keep in mind Thor Heyerdahl's theory expounded in his book "American Indians in the Pacific".

He proposed that the Pacific (specifically Polynesia) was peopled not from Asia, but from the Americas.
He particularly points to the similarities in culture between northwest American coast Haida people and the Maori of New Zealand.
I won't go into the specifics, and in fact he was proven wrong when the genetics has since shown otherwise (Maori mitochondrial DNA can be tracked back to Taiwan. see http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s823810.htm ), but there's no reason why Polynesians could not have visited the Haida, or vise versa. They were both great sea-faring people (it has been proven that polynesians did make it to South America on at least one occasion - Polynesian chicken bones were found in Chile.
See http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11987-polynesians-beat-columbus-to-the-americas-.html )

Also, check out this out:

It's quite close to something Maori in my opinion (although there's no spirals), even the colours are Maori, but it's Haida.
Interesting hey?