Bill Helin Killer Whale Oven Mitt

Tsimshian native artist Bill Helin enjoys a very rewarding career as a creative gold engraver, painter, woodcarver, and book illustrator. He loves to paint mythological images to educate people on the history of the Tsimshian nation and the many stories passed down through his ancestors. His greatest passion however is to spiritually represent and bond individuals together through the use of native Life Crest symbols.

The killer whale is the lord of the oceans and a symbol of long life.  It is believed that great chiefs turn into killer whales when they pass on into the nether world.