Animals, people, elements of nature, supernatural people, and plays an essential part in Coastal First Nations culture are displayed in the ceremonial masks on the Northwest Coast. According to Coupland, “the development of the Northwest Coast ethnographic pattern — those uniquely complex ethnographic hunting-and-gathering societies has been the focus of many archaeological investigations on the Northwest Coast of North America” (19).
These items tell of a period when mystical ancestors transformed themselves in certain spots along coastal rivers and rivers, from superstructures to human forms. These ancestors’ pictures are shown in storage chests, totems, colossal gravings, dancing blankets, and ceremonial attire; however, it is most vividly through masks in complex theatrical performances that this magical past is recreated. According to Chalmers, “aboriginal art of the Northwest Coast has been profoundly affected by European accounts of the art” (229). Naturally, the goal of these demonstrations is to wow, but above all, it is to confirm that the mask’s lineage has an old and noble heritage.
A spectrum of masks in shape and style, both driven by function and role. Forms differ considerably from humanistic picture masks that bring a wide variety of emotional elements, to animal faces, to sophisticated ones such as processing masks and mandibles and jaws. These masks may take several forms and tell a whole tale. Some of these pieces are so big and contain so many moving components that a solo performer cannot control them, and the artist must have an assistant in order to utilize the mask.
Nowadays, artists often construct masks for aesthetic and business objectives, although many still serve ritual functions. Although the traditions of masking are evolving and adapting to new social, political, and environmental conditions, they ensure the transfer of know-how from one century to the next and a growing acceptance and compassion for the heritage of the Northwest Coast.
Works Cited
Chalmers, F. Graeme. “European ways of talking about the art of northwest coast first nations.” Art, Culture, and Pedagogy. Brill Sense, 2019. 229-240.
Coupland, Gary. “The Evolution of Cultural Complexity on the Northwest Coast.” The Prehistory of the Northwest Coast. Routledge, 2016. 19-28.