Coyote’s Paw
Native Northern Californian arts and culture
Coyote’s Paw, an indigenous art cooperative is led by tradition-bearer and master artisan George Nixon Blake. He is a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe and is also of Yurok descent. Coyote’s Paw offers workshops and mentoring through traditional art forms for young Indigenous people within the local Native community.
In 2014 and 2009, Coyote’s Paw received a grant from ACTA’s Living Cultures Grants Program to hold a series of workshops to train a group of committed men from from several different Northern California tribes to carry on the tradition of constructing sinew-backed bows. Historically, sinew backed bows were an essential tool used daily for hunting both small and large game to feed families and villages. These bows are also used in ceremonies conducted by the Yurok, Karuk, and Hoopa peoples.