Nuu-Chah-Nulth Two Dimensional,Sculptural & Woven Art.
During the nineteenth century, the First Nation art tradition of the Pacific Northwest coast developed both conceptually and stylistically (Holm, 1990:603). The art form was in a state of flux, and the tribal styles often influenced one another by way of the extensive intertribal trade routes. The noted changes were ongoing, and the artists were quick toutilize new tools, materials and paints once available. Art objects collected during this period are conceptually and stylistically related within each respective tribe, with gradual changes noted over the course of the century(Holm, 1990:603).

The ownership of inherited privileges were often displayed and validated during elaborate, theatrical ceremonies utilizing many beautifully carved masks and associated paraphernalia (Holm, 1990:605). The concept of privilege as well as the numerous potlatches held during the winter months on the westcoast stimulated the production of ceremonial art. For the Nootkans, art was an integral part of their culture. From their elaborately decorated whaling canoes to the woven chief's hats with whaling scenes, many objects were decorated and made with great care (Arima and Dewhirst, 1990:404).

Tools and Materials.
Woodworking tools in use before contact included those of bone, shell, stone and beaver incisor teeth, with a few iron and steel blades (King 1981:pl.85,nos. 123, 124). The iron and steel may have been obtained from trade across the continent, or salvaged from drift wreckage from Asia (MacDonald1984a:74-76; G.I. Quimby, 1985).

The maritime fur trade eventually provided additional metal tools that helped foster artistic activity. In 1778, Captain James Cook anchored in Nootka Sound to repair his ships and to take on fresh provisions (Arima and Dewhirst, 1990:407). The people of Yuquot traded sea otter pelts to Captain Cook and his crew for iron, knives and other metals (Arima and Dewhirst, 1990:407).

The Natives utilized adzes, chisels, drills, knives, mauls and wedges to create their artwork. The crooked knife, similar to the curved bladedman's knife of northern North America (Mason, 1899) became the standard fine carving tool of the Pacific Northwest Natives (Holm, 1990:604). Knives with blades that were straight to knives with sharply curved blades and many angles in between were used by the Natives on the coast (Holm,1990:604).

The artwork was either knife finished, for a textured surface, or sanded smooth with dogfish skin or dried stalks of the horsetail (Equisetum) (Holm,1990:604). Paint was applied with brushes made from the guard hair from porcupines, or with smoothly pointed sticks for the fine lines (Holm,1990:604).

Nuu-Chah-Nulth Two Dimensional Art.
The early Nootkan painting was free and simple, often quite geometric (Holm, 1972:77). The painting in the historic period was highly developed and can be classified into two types, one being naturalistic and representational, and the other being abstract angular with curvilinear designs (Holm, 1990:611). The Nootkan artists utilized circles and ovals, U or feather like forms, rectangular blocks, spirals, T reliefs, rows of dots, and positive and negative reversals in their painted designs (Holm, 1990:611).

Their naturalistic painting was used to portray mythical beings and incidents on the screens used at potlatches, while the abstract designs were used for surface embellishment on objects such as canoes and paddles (Holm, 1990:611). The figures painted on the screens portrayed the characters of myths that were responsible for the origin of the ceremonies, often graphically illustrating the stories (Holm, 1990:611). Often thunderbirds and whales, lightning serpents, and wolf designs were painted to display the myths (Holm, 1990:611).

In the late nineteenth century many Nootkan artists started to incorporate elements and structure from the northern formline style, although in an individual and still strongly Nootkan appearance. These nineteenth century figures were painted less naturally and more highly structured than previous designs (Holm, 1990:611).

Nuu-Chah-Nulth Sculpture.
The Nootkan artists carved naturalistic and portrait-like masks that maintained the stylization of features common to Nootkan sculpture (Holm, 1990:619). The Nootkan eye styles were large and round, with long and pointed eye lids. The orb had little or no projection and was usually carved flat on the cheek plane (Holm, 1990:619). Human or horse tail hair was sometimes attached to their masks for hair, mustache or beard like realism. Many fine examples of the aged portrait-like masks can be found in museum collections.

The deeply prismatic form of the southern Nootkan face mask has two sides of the face flattened, and often carved with a bold profile (Holm, 1990:619). On this "Canoe Mask" the large eyes on the cheek plane and the long, slanting under brow plane are typical of the Nootkan sculptural conventions (Holm,1990:619). These masks were painted with asymmetrical, bold and geometric designs, such as broad stripes or feather form U's crossing the facial plane (Holm, 1990:619). The traditional colors consisted of black, red, and blue, but contemporary artists utilize yellows, oranges and other hues.

Nootkan artists carved animals and birds, such as wolves and thunderbirds, with a smooth and stream lined form (Holm, 1990:619). The clubs, masks, rattles, and house posts and other monumental carvings depicted animals or creatures of mythology, each carved and painted in the Nootkan conventions. The wolf headdress was carved with a long constricted snout, narrow and drawn back lips that exposed the many teeth, and large eyes with pointed style Nootkan eye lids (Holm, 1990:619).

Today the Nuu-Chah-Nulth artists produce artwork for both ceremonial purposes and for the ever expanding Native art market. Artists such as Joe David, Tim Paul and Art Thompson continue to produce fine works of art.

Nuu-Chah-Nulth Woven Art.
The Nootkans are renowned for their conical chief's hats topped with a woven onion shaped bulb, and decorated either with geometric designs and whaling scenes, or with thunderbirds and lightning serpents (Holm, 1990:625). Thesr hats were woven with an inner cedar bark lining attached to an outer shell near the last few rows of twining at the rim of the hat (Holm, 1990:625). The designs were geometrically stylized due to the limits imposed by the basketry techniques, although the figures are identifiable.

In the latter part of the nineteenth century, Nootkan women started to weave elaborately decorated baskets that were sold to European and American customers. The baskets were constructed with split and processed cedar bark for the warp and inner weft, and dyed grasses for the twining element (Holm, 1990:625). Many pattern were woven with the dyed grass, such as geometric designs, swimming birds, canoes and whales (Holm, 1990:625). Lidded baskets and other products are still being woven by Nuu-Chah-Nulth women for the commercial market.

The Nootkans wove blankets from both yellow cedar bark or wool. The blankets were twined rather than twilled, with fancy texturing through spacing of the twining rows (Holm, 1990:629). Some of the blankets were made with a zig zag pattern on the border by using woolen wefts that were dyed brown or yellow, or they were painted with Nootkan designs of mythical beings (Holm, 1990:629). The National Museum of Ireland, Dublin has wonderful examples of Nootkan woven cedar bark blankets that were collected during Cook's third voyage.

Selected Repository Collections of Nuu-Chah-Nulth Artwork*:

Alberni Valley Museum, Port Alberni, British Columbia.
Bernisches Historisches Museum, Bern, Switzerland.
Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, New York.
University of British Columbia, Museum of Anthropology, Vancouver.
British Library, Department of Manuscripts, London.
British Museum, Museum of Mankind, London.
Canadian Museum of Civilization, National Museum of Canada, Ottawa.
Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago.
Museo de America, Madrid.
Museo Naval, Madrid.
Museo Nazionale di Antropologia ed Etnologia, Florence.
Museum fur Volkerkunde, Berlin.
Museum fur Volkerkunde, Vienna.
National Museum of Ireland, Dublin.
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge.
British Columbia Archives and Records Service, Victoria.
Royal Albert Museum, Exeter, England.
Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria.
Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.
Smithsonian Institution, Department of Anthropology and National AnthropologicalArchives, Washington, D.C.
State Library of New South Wales, Dixson Library, Sydney, Australia.
University Museum, University of Cambridge, England.
University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Washington State Historical Society, Tacoma.

*Information collected by Joanna C. Scherer and various authors of Volume 7, Handbook of North American Indians, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, 1990.