HENRY CYRIL

Cyril Henry lives on The Six Nations of the Grand River reservation in Ohsweken, Ontario, near the city of Brantford. He has been carving since he was 4 years of age. He learned under the tutelage of his mother, Eunice Henry and his father Vince Bomberry. Vince is a Master Carver with art works in many leading museums and private and corporate collections in both Canada and the United States.
Young Cyril is following in his father’s footsteps with intricate, detailed incising on his carvings. He works in small and large scale, never sacrificing quality in his work. He has mastered the art of inlaying stone to add interesting detail to his carvings. Recently, he is using Catlinite (pipestone) for his inlay work.
The Iroquois Confederacy has Six Nations; each Nation composed of different clans*. Children become members of the Mother’s clan, hence, a matrilineal system. (Cyril Henry, surname from the mother’s clan, not Cyril Bomberry, after his father’s clan.) The Iroquois recognizes women as the most important person. Women appoint the Chief of their reserve and monitor his effectiveness as a leader. They have the power to depose him and appoint another chief. *Each Clan is represented by a different animal. Iroquois have nine clans which are divided into animals from three earth elements: Land, Air and Water. The Land creatures are Deer, Wolf and Bear; the Water creatures aer Turtle, Beaver and Eel; the creatures of the Air (Sky) are Hawk, Heron and Snipe. Before the Iroquois Confederacy was created,
here were many more clans but after the Peacemaker, only these nine remain. Gallery Indigena is pleased to represent Master Carver Cyril Henry.