The American masks of the Pacific West Coast of North America are a reflection of the lifestyle, mythology and religious beliefs of the indigenous people.
Here you will come across several distinct tribes, the most well known being; Haida, Kwakwaka'wakw ( or Kwakiult ), Tsimshian, Tlingit, Bella Bella, Nuu-chah-Nulth and Makah.
The artistic style of these peoples has a commonality in the use of curved symbolry which occurs within pictures of people and creatures, both real and mythological and surface decoration.
Here there are rich formalized traditions developed over many centuries to expressing the individuality of the area.
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Art work and in particular carved wooden American masks were collected from this area from the time of the first incursions of western sailors.
Sadly the diseases brought by these visitors had a devastating effect, almost wiping out some of the villages.
Later devastation to the cultures were wrought by the church and local officialdom.
Children were taken away from their parents and sent to boarding schools to take them away from the tribal ways.
Art work and ceremonial regalia were burned driving traditional practices underground.
The survival of the art and traditions of this area are now recognized as important.
In particular traditional art work is one manner in which the people of this area can communicate the value of their interpretation of the world to the rest of us.
I had the opportunity to visit this area during 2003. The whole coastal area is extremely verdant. Tall temperate rain forest trees grow to the edge of the sea.
Wild life abounds in the sea and forest. Salmon and whales are common in the sea and deer and other game animals fill the forests.
The area is abundant in all those things that makes a hunting/collecting way of life the natural choice for the inhabitants. The mountainous terrain also forces settlements to be near the sea or in valleys.
Visiting this area during August we soon became aware of the salmon swimming up river to spawn. These were not large rivers but shallow tidal outlets only a few centimeters deep.
Each square meter of water could be populated by as may as 8 fully grown fish. With my untrained eye I noticed at least 5 species of salmon.
To fish in these waters would be of no difficulty even for the amateur. As we moved further upstream the final demise of these abundant creatures became noticeable as the smell of rotting fish pervaded the air.
Despite hearing tales of over fishing, such local abundance is hard to visualize unless you have experienced it.
In particular having lived in Britain most of my life I have always appreciated wild salmon as an expensive luxury. Here it is so common it rots away after spawning.
As well as appreciating the natural beauty of the area the beauty of local craftsmanship in carving is apparent in the galleries and craft shops of the area.
In particular I enjoyed the galleries in Victoria, Vancouver Island. Within this very compact city there are many galleries displaying a whole range of local art. For me the delight was the exquisite American masks and carvings. Some of them were truly of museum quality.
If you are interested in American masks and the art of this area then the galleries of Victoria are a worthwhile starting point. Other galleries can be accessed on cruises to Alaska.