The Northern California woodpecker is a very sacred bird to the Yurok Tribe. They use the woodpecker crown on their dance regalia and caps in religious ceremonies that is still practiced today by the Yurok people. This painting was created to capture the beauty of this bird and the medicine of the people. This native design is a symbol of the woodpecker that would be used on traditional headdresses, and the smokey background is suppose to represent the fire used in the Yurok Tribe’s ceremonies.