CARVINGS INFO

Masks

 

Masks are widely used on the Northwest Coast and exemplify the powerful ceremonial traditions. The creature which is represented by the mask bestow upon the human wearer its knowledge and status. A mask can be worn to cover the face, the entire head, and can sometimes cover most of the body.

A transformation mask is a mix of imaginative design and technical ingenuity. Carefully carved and balanced on hinges, these masks are intricately strung. At the climatic moment of a dance, the dancer pulls the toggles, the external shell of the mask splits into sections, and the transformation is completed as an inner mask, usually the human form, is finally revealed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Panels

Panels are among contemporary media for Northwest Coast art. The painted house fronts as well as power boards could be seen as early examples of a carved and painted flat surface.

Bent boxes

Boxes are heavily symbolic among Northwest Coast cultures as they hold the treasures associated with the hereditary wealth of chiefly families. Usually made by kerfing and bending one plank of cedar into the four sides, boxes are often elaborately painted and/or carved, sometimes depicting crest figures associated with a given family. Although traditionally they are mainly used for storage, in the past they were also used for steaming food by filling the box with water and adding stones heated in a fire.

Feast dishes

Feast Dishes are used ceremonially during potlatches. Invited guests are fed from the feast dishes which can be many feet long and elaborately carved in a variety of animal forms.

Talking sticks

Talking sticks - sometimes referred to as speaker's staffs - are a Northwest Coast symbol of power and authority. On important ceremonial occasions, it is customary for a chief to employ the services of a speaker, who then relays the sentiments of the host family to the gathered guests.

Rattles

Rattles are the predominant percussion instrument used in shamanic and ceremonial contexts. Traditionally, rattles and their noises may contain magic. The sound of rattles is used to calm and tame wild dancers in some ceremonies.