Harris Hawks
Among most Native American tribes all important plants and animals, as well as forces of nature like wind and rain, had their own distinct spirit. Typically, such spirits could manifest themselves in their native form or in human form. Thus, if Bear Spirit wanted to appear in a vision or dream it could assume either bear or human form. This concept of transformation has been central to many of the prints I have made since I started working in the silkscreen medium.
Among Southwestern tribes such nature spirits are often phrased as “Kachinas”, or as the Navajo know them, “Yei”. In my Canyon Spirits series I have developed a generalized human figure that, like the Kachina, represents the human form that a particular plant or animal spirit can take.
The Harris’ Hawk is unusual in that it hunts in groups. This dark Southwestern hawk has chestnut shoulders and legs, making it very distinctive. It frequents mesquite thickets but can also be found in Southwestern cities. Several Harris Hawks hunt the pigeons that live in my neighborhood in Tucson.