B.C. carver’s huge Thunderbird carving a hit at Victoriaville

Coast Salish carver George Franks’s hand-carved Thunderbird was a hit at the 13th Annual Aboriginal Fine Arts and Crafts Xmas Gift Show and Sale.
“This is my interpretation of the Nanabosho story,” said Franks, who carved the Thunderbird from a 100-year-old red cedar tree. “Nanabosho’s friend was the wolf, so this is the wolf here, and the Thunderbird is on top.”
Franks, who has been living in Thunder Bay for about five years, said the copper plates on the piece represent the copper that was once mined and traded by Anishinabe traders from the local area.
“That’s where the trade items come from, the copper,” Franks said. “And on top of it is the fruit bowl for ceremonies, for smudge ceremonies or tobacco offerings.”
Franks also placed birch bark on a platform with wheels that allows the piece to be moved effortlessly.
Franks sold the piece on the last day of the arts and crafts sale, held from Dec. 3-7 at the Victoriaville Centre in Thunder Bay.