The Snowy Owl is a winter visitor to the Gitxsan Territory. It's beautiful white plumage makes it hard to see in the white snow. To see one is a treat indeed. In the Coast Salish Territory where I live they are more common and you can often see one hunting near a field of rodents. Some families have the white owl as a crest.
Owls are revered for great powers of wisdom, the ability to foretell, and a keen sense of perception. In other cultures it symbolizes darkness and bad news. I reject that and love these creatures, of course owls are near cemeteries as this is where the rodents hang out too.
While there is a perception of darkness and death with the owl, and the reason most artists will not draw an owl, I see this magnificent creature very differently.
The owl, like the eagle, is beautiful, it is a rare sight, and it is powerful, wise and perceptive.