Freda Diesing, Frog (bentbox design) 1979

BEAVER BENT BOX DESIGN

by Freda Diesing

Date: 1979
Print Size: 17.5" x 23"
1979BBD

A Haida bent box was created by steaming a single cedar plank and bending it into a square shape over time. Bentbox designs are more complex than the usual crests. Beaver is an important crest of the Haida and the subject of many legends. Two most identifying features are the tail and two large front teeth. The beaver always has ears and rounded nostrils and the tail is always crosshatched, but may also show a human face which represents the tail joint.