Water Spirit

Little frog,
little frog, 
snugly sleeping in the bog.

So petite,
with flippered feet,
catching tasty bugs to eat.
'Water Spirit' a Traditional Pacific Northwest Native Frog Design by Sechelt Artist Charlie Craigan.

Charles J. Craigan’s Water Spirit design is a celebration of the spiritual and physical relationship between the frog and fresh waterways. The Frog is symbolic as spiritual keepers of fresh water and waterways and it is a reminder of that we must show appreciation for these brilliant creatures and the water’s they protect.

  • Leaves on a forest pond taken with Olympus Evolt E-300 by Coastal Salish Photographer TS Ni hUiginn
  • A forest pond taken with Olympus Evolt E-300 by Coastal Salish Photographer TS Ni hUiginn
  • Mountain Lake taken with Olympus Evolt E-300 by Coastal Salish Photographer TS Ni hUiginn
  • A fishing Heron taken with Olympus Evolt E-300 by Coastal Salish Photographer TS Ni hUiginn
  • A fishing Heron taken with Olympus Evolt E-300 by Coastal Salish Photographer TS Ni hUiginn

We think too small, like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view.

Mao Zedong

Frogs are important creatures, they are culturally significant and powerful to some, whereas others have far less respect for them. Some associate frogs with being unattractive or stupid but I have always found those comparisons unfounded. Frogs have proven themselves to be clever, resourceful and capable of survival when may of us would be challenged to do likewise. They are also a tasty treat for some although not to my personal taste, the heron however is far more fond of them than I. It won’t be long now until their beautiful voices rise in unison again announcing spring’s arrival once again, and spring without them would be unthinkably sad and lonely.

That is the way it is done, the way it has always been done. Frogs have every right to expect it will always be done that way.

John Steinbeck