This extraordinary object reflects the rich past of this area. When the Spanish visited the Northwest Coast for the first time, they did not describe the famous and now quintessential totem poles of the area, simply because they did not exist at the time. Instead, masks such as these were created and displayed in the interiors of distinguished homes. The representation refers to the clan of those who lived in the house, which would have been occupied by a large extended family, all descended from a common ancestor. This ancestor may have been an animal or a mythical being, and the designs with which this mask is decorated define its group identification.
