Dogfish Shark Woman

Dogfish Shark Woman is a supernatural ancestor spirit of Haida mythology. The Haida people are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest, in what is now Canada, and are known for their totems and masks.

Dogfish Shark Woman's power came from the spirit of the dogfish, a bottom-dwelling shark known to arch its back and secrete poison when in a defensive mode. Born a Haida woman of the nobility, she was carried off from the rocky shoreline by a dogfish man, who brought her into his undersea village. As she stayed in the dogfish village, fins began to grow upon her arms, her legs, and her back, slowly transforming her into Dogfish Shark Woman.

Some sources claim that she is able to transform herself back again into her human form, but she chooses to stay with her dogfish family. She became the royal ancestor of the Haida families who now claim the Shark or Dogfish Mother as their crest.

Dogfish Shark Woman original painting, prints, and merch available through shop link above, or via Fine Arts America or Redbubble.

Sources:

Virtual Museum of Canada

Bill Reid Center at Simon Fraser University

West Pacific Review

Spirits of the West Coast Art Gallery

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