in the 1980s. The Canadian federal government, spurred by Christian missionaries, outlawed the potlatch under the Indian Act. The ban took effect in the 1870s but was not fully enforced until much later, most vociferously after 1923. Heiltsuk Chiefs were angered by the ban and the missionary interference in their traditional customs. The ban lasted until the Indian Act was amended in 1951. According to Heiltsuk oral tradition, though the ban was lifted, no one informed the Heiltsuk at the time. The missionaries saw the potlatch as the basis for Heiltsuk (and more broadly for other First Nations on what anthropologists label the Northwest Coast) social and political organization, and as the most obvious expression of non-Christian beliefs, to which they were opposed. Though the Potlatch system did not die out entirely among the Heiltsuk, it was forced underground. Missionary influence in Bella Bella was significant from the late 19th century. The missionary served as religious authority, doctor (with control over health), and magistrate. Chiefs responded by hosting Christmas feasts, where even the most ardent colonist could not stop the distribution of gifts. Reports of feasts held in the houses of Chiefs from this time include accounts of the chiefs simply waiting out the missionary until he got too tired and went home to bed. Then they could conduct their traditional business. Art and ceremonial expression The Heiltsuk were well known for their skills as carpenters, carvers, painters, and ceremonial experts. The two-dimensional style of design – called formline art – or Northwest Coast Style – extends along the north coast, the central coast and down to Vancouver Island. The Heiltsuk are part of this tradition – with several painters from the historic period being recorded. Among these Captain Carpenter, a canoe-maker and painter is perhaps the most well-known. Early known Heiltsuk artists from the colonial period include: Chief Robert Bell (1859–1904) Enoch (d. 1904) Captain Carpenter (1841–1931) General Dick (aka Old Dick – 1822–1902?) Daniel Houstie (1880–1912) Culture (post-1951) The 1951 amendment to the Indian Act (Canada's law regarding First Nations), removed some of the most repressive elements, including the ban on the potlatch. While the Heiltsuk continued to practice elements of the feast system in secret, it was not until after the ban that it began to emerge into public light again. During the late 1960s and continuing through the 1980s the Heiltsuk experienced a revival of potlatching