EAGLE

Artist: Leroy Henry

Medium: Steatite

10.5"H X 5"W

Leroy Henry is a member of the Turtle Clan, Cayuga Nation, of the Six Nations Confederacy.  Born in 1974, Leroy has enjoyed carving since the age of ten. He is the son of Ben Henry and Loreene Henry, both established sculptors.  

Leroy is active in the traditional sports of lacrosse and snow-snake, and most enjoys sharing the traditional ways of his Elders through the tales of his sculptures. 

His sculptures and his life reflect beliefs about the role we were intended to play in the web of creation that is life: a role of balance, respect and harmony.  

The Eagle is a symbol of power, leadership and prestige. It also represents wisdom since it flies high above the world giving it a broad perspective of everything.  

The Natives believe the eagle was the chosen master of the skies by the Creator. This is also because eagles generally fly at a higher altitude than most other birds and this gives them a unique perspective that is unmatched by any other bird. By virtue of their high flying, they are considered to be closer to the Creator than all other creatures on earth. The eagle, it is believed, works as a messenger for the Creator. It is tasked with the duty of carrying the prayers of human beings from the earth world to the spirit world where they believed the creator resides. Seeing an eagle during a prayer ceremony was taken as a sign of having one’s prayers accepted. Eagles were a connection between people and those powers that created the world. The eagles acted as wise counselors and as judges, they were the carriers of prayers, visions, and spirits between the worlds of the not yet born, the living, and the dead.