The Northern California woodpecker is a very sacred bird to the Yurok people. They considered the woodpecker as a medicine bird, and use the woodpecker crown on their dance regalia and woman’s caps in religious ceremonies that are still practiced today. This painting was created to capture the beauty of this bird and the medicine of the Yurok people. The background is suppose to represent the color of smoke faded into the charole of the medicine fire, and the native design is a beautiful Yurok basket design.