(Name-Living with a missing part)Bear paw depicts mother with four children
This piece is my own my name is Chris Wabano Plawej Patles, I am bear clan, my nations are attawapiskat first nation, natoaganeg first nation, chisasibi first nation, my great grandfather signed treaty 9 in 1905, treaty 9 is being dealt with in court currently, my great grandmother revived the apology in 2008 from Steven harper for being the oldest living residential school survivor, my grandmother translated for the event, my mother Jocelyn wabano iahtail is a activist well known for her work in MMIWG, the TRC, and calls for a genocide case against Canada, and other events such tipi on Parliament hill a few years ago. I myself am millennium scoop survivor, I was sent to a modern residential school, and other facilities where I subjected to multiple harms. This piece depicts a a mother with four babies in her belly, with a eagle watching over them In the center, the price itself is a bear paw, it has three toes the reason is two fold first my mother had 4 children one died after being assaulted and we are still fighting for justice to this day, the second is while in the system as a child I had a incident from negligence and had a amputation to my fingers two impacting one severely. This price natural curves on the bottom just as a bear paw would naturally, its singed in the bottom , its made of soapstone and is polished and smooth.
Height 2.1 cm, length 2 inches, width 2 inches.
Other
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Hello, this item is a small contemporary Indigenous Canadian soapstone carving by Chris Wabano Plawey Patles, titled Living with a Missing Part, in the form of a bear paw with three toes and incised symbolic imagery. The artist’s description gives the work a direct autobiographical and cultural context, connecting the bear clan, Treaty 9 family history, residential school and Millennium Scoop trauma, MMIWG activism, and the image of a mother with four children watched over by an eagle. The object appears hand-carved, polished, and intentionally shaped with a missing or reduced paw element as part of the meaning rather than as simple damage. The material looks consistent with soft carved soapstone or similar steatite, and the small scale, approximately 2 inches by 2 inches, places it in the category of intimate personal sculpture rather than large-market Inuit or Northwest Coast carving.
The piece has strong personal, narrative, and cultural value, but the commercial market value is harder to establish because the artist is self-identified here and I do not see evidence of gallery representation, auction history, or broader collector demand from the submitted information. For valuation, the most relevant comparisons are small contemporary First Nations or Indigenous Canadian soapstone carvings by emerging or local artists, adjusted upward for the documented personal statement and symbolic content. Based on the photographs, size, material, condition, and available authorship information, the fair market value is $100 - $300 USD.
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