Northwest Coast Art shows culture and history through creating works of art that depict ancestral history, hereditary privilege, and animal to human transformations. The Northwest Indians lived a relaxed life with an abundance of food and natural resources people had more time to dedicate to art and leisure activities. The importance of family history and hereditary privilege can be seen in the Tlingit Frog Clan Hat, which represents the family’s principle crest animal (1820). This wooden hat is ceremonial piece simple in shape with subtractive properties highlighting the frog, dark coloring with vibrant accents, and the use of abalone shell inlay. The eyes, mouth, parts of the back and legs of the frog have abalone inlays complementing the bright red lips and finger and toes. The face of the frog is unique to the rest of the mask because it is…show more content… This wooden figure is depicts the relationship between human and animal by showing two men who have salmon attributes. The man on the left is split down the center the left half being a salmons body from head to tail and the right being a humans body from head to toe. The salmon side is in blue is color while the human side is a salmon red. The human side of the figure appears to be holding his arm across his stomach touching the fish side of the figure. The figure to the right boasts a human head in neutral colors, the torso is salmon, and the legs of the figure are in the shape of a fish fin but separated like human legs. The fish on this figure is salmon red in color with blue accenting the spikes, gills, and fins. Both of the figures have short black hair, bold dark eyebrows, narrow serious eyes, and large exaggerated lips. These figures are representative of the culture Northeast Indians believe and their belief in history and animal to human
