Lot Essay
Brown (1996) believes this mask represents a spirit having attributes of a sea creature and a human. It shares stylistic traits of both the Heiltsuk and Nuxalk traditions. Because of the intermingling of the two peoples in the area of Dean Channel and Kwatna, he believes the mask may have been made there, specifically at Kimsquit village between 1860-80. Alan Hoover (1986, p. 6) states "The mask's River's Inlet provenance and its expertly combined Northern Wakashan and Bella Coola traits make it an important piece in the definition of tribal styles."