Beaver Bracelet with abalone shell inlay
This Large Beaver Bracelet with Abalone Inlay hand carved by Owen Walker is in keeping with the Northwest Coast Indian lore that speaks of Beaver, who at first was a woman who loved to swim.
Many of the stories of the first peoples are both entertainment and a cautionary tale similar to the passion plays of medieval Europe. This woman who became the first beaver and ancestress of the Beaver families had a husband who was not kind and loving as husbands should be but was demanding and dictatorial. She dammed-up a small stream to create a pool to swim in. Swimming was her escape as she could not hear her husband complain and give orders when she was under water. Soon the pool grew into a lake and as she spent more and more time away from her husband, he scolded and threatened her for ignoring her wifely chores. Gradually she lived in the lake altogether and her leather apron turned into a tail and she became covered with brown fur to keep warm. She had spent so much time in the lake that she became Beaver.
I have always loved this story and the design of this bracelet with the ears of the beaver breaking out of the frame. It was created for my daughter Sariah’s high school graduation. I have given each of my children and now my grandchildren a bracelet of their choice when they graduate high school.
Hand-carved Sterling Silver Big Beaver Bracelet by Owen Walker
1 inch width plus ears, tapers to .75 inch width.
Price: $650.00 Design Number: D2
Beaver Bracelet D2
