Although Moon is not among the most common crests. it is a popular image
and is frequently depicted in the art. Moon appears in the mythology of all Northwest
Coast nations, though Moon's origin varies from story to story, even within one culture.

Most northern tribes thank Raven for the gift of Moon, and sometimes stories
describe Moon as a chip off of Sun, which Raven clumsily dropped.

The Nuu-chah-nulth, whose year features thirteen moons, honor Moon, and his wife
Sun, as the most powerful of beings, the bestowers of good luck and plentiful food.
This is one of the instances in which Moon is male and Sun is female. Among other
groups, personifications suggest that Moon is a female entity, also more delicate and
serene than Sun. Nuu-chah-nulth purification rituals were customarily undertaken
during the waxing of Moon.

Moon plays a part in the Peace Dance of the Kwakwaka'wakw, in which a human
leaves the ceremonial bighouse and returns transformed into Moon. Moon also
appears frequently in the Winter Ceremony of the Nuxalk.

Moon is often depicted is association with Wolf because of the creature's
nocturnal habits. Moon frequently appears grasped in the long, straight beak of
Raven, in reference to the famous myths regarding the theft-and eventual
release into the sky-of Sun and Moon by Raven.

Moon is characterized as a rounded face with relatively flat features, often those of
a human or a bird. Moon does not have rays, but there is usually a rim or circlet
around the circumference. Moon sometimes wears a labret (a lower lip ornament),
typically represented in graphic form by a circle beneath the lower lip, signifying a
feminine aspect. Occasionally, the shape of a crescent moon is represented, and
in some pieces both the full and crescent phases are represented simultaneously.