The paint is green, black, and red.

The paint is green, black, and red.

To residents of the Northwest Coast, and particularly those in the habit of travelling the waterways of the area in small boats, no native creature is more impressive than the killer whale. It is small wonder that native mythology and art are full of references to him. This killer whale back mask has the ability of transforming itself from a single- to a double-finned creature by the manipulation of strings located inside the mask. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

This mask was one of a set of six purchased by Sidney Gerber from its native owner in Blunden Harbor, B. C. It has been repainted white over an older painting and has black eyes, eyebrows, and mustache, with traces of red around the nostrils. Masks were often repainted, either to brighten them up after use had dulled the colors or to change the character of the mask, as appears to be the case here. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

The cloth is muslin. The paint is black.

The paint is green, red, black, and white.

The paint is black and white.

Forehead masks of this type leave the dancer's face exposed. Sometimes during the dance the blanket is raised with the forearms to cover the face, allowing the mask to peer over the blanket and heightening the illusion of a bird or animal. This mask is carved of red cedar and is very light in weight. The painting is in the usual colors--black eyebrows, eye detail, and beak; red lips, nostrils, and cheek detail; green eyesockets; and white in various lines and negative areas. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

Dzoonokwa, a Sasquatch-like creature, belongs to a family of humanoid giants who are both beneficial and menacing to humans. She is known to steal children, but can also bestow power and wealth. A chief who wears this mask when he speaks demonstrates that his ancestors gained this power. (Holm, Spirit and Ancestor, 1987)

The paint is black and red.