The paint is black.

Simple, undecorated wooden ladles share everyday duty with plain dishes and bowls. This ladle is decorated only with a shallow groove paralleling the inner rim, a conventional ladle feature throughout much of the northern coast. The wood, probably alder, has been stained almost black by an infusion of the candlefish oil which it once contained. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

This set of four masks represents the supernatural brothers who were created at the beginning of time by the supreme spirit, Ahlkuntam, and given the task of ordering the world. These and other supernatural beings were honored in the Nuxalk Winter Ceremonial, called Kusiut, comparable to the Kwakwaka'wakw Tseyka. The oldest and most powerful brother was named Yula'timot (He Who Completes Any Task with a Single Smoothing motion) and is credited with creating fire. The second brother brought rain and was called MaLapa'litsek (He Who Completes Any Task with a Single Stroke of His Adze). The creator of trees, MaL'ape'exoek (He Who Completes Any Task with Two Strokes of His Adze) was the third brother. IL'iLu'lak (He Who Completes Any Task in a Single Day), the fourth brother, created the world.