PATRICK AMOS (1957-) NUU-CHAH-NULTH
The Eclipse (The Halibut that Swallowed the Moon), 2003
red cedar, cedar bark, pigment, and hide, 56 x 12.5 x 8 in (142.2 x 31.8 x 20.3 cm)
signed, inscribed, titled, and dated, "Patrick Amos / Rowachukt-Ruchalaht First Nation / Nuu-chah-nulth / Eclipse / June 25, 2003".

Provenance
The Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, 1 July 2003;
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto.

This model totem pole tells the story of how the lunar eclipse came to be. According to the tale, a particularly proud halibut boasted that his kind were so big that they could swallow the moon. The other sea animals did not believe the creature but the halibut swam up to the surface of the water and opened his mouth wide, and succeeded in swallowing the moon hole. The bottom kneeling figure, with the drum and beater in hand, is believed to be Naasiitqaat, the wise old man who had witnessed the halibut’s moon swallowing spectacle. Transforming himself into a bird, Naasiitqaat flew into the halibut’s mouth and once inside the belly of the fish, found the moon and, with all his strength, pushed it back up through the halibut's throat and out into the sky.