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Content: Northwest Coast artis on a par with the classical art of Greece, Rome, and Egypt. It
    was even a big influence on European Cubists and Surrealists, who saw in it a reflection
    of their aesthetic principles--thousands of years before Europeans developed them! The Northwest Coast includes many cultures: Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian,
      Kwakiutl, Nuxalk, Nuu-chah-nulth, and
    Coast Salish. To the untrained eye, the art created by these different cultures has enough
    similarities to be mistaken for a single identity. But over thousands of years, each
    culture developed its own artistic style, myths, and ceremonies. These cultures were wealthy enough to support full-time artists to create objects such as
    masks for ceremonies, totem poles to decorate buildings and denote lineages, and boxes and
    paddles for daily use. Outstanding artists established personal styles within their
    cultural confines to keep the art new and progressing. The result was the
    development of their stunningly beautiful artistic tradition--one of the
    world's greatest cultural achievements. Above all, their choice of material was the Western Red cedar,
    which provided them with most of what they wore, lived in, and used to
    gather and cook food.