Community Life On The Northwest Coast

Native Northwest Coast jewelry motifs are rooted in centuries-old rituals and social forms.

In Northwest Coast Native societies, each extended family—or house group—strives to assert and maintain its historic status and ceremonial privileges. Toward this end, many people display crests—images of animal spirits such as wolves or killer whales. Crests, displayed on objects such as totem poles, blankets or jewelry, proclaim the proud history of the house group and its connections to the supernatural world.

Dances, songs and dramatizations of ancient stories also link people with the spirit world and inspire the creation of spectacular masks and costumes. Although social and economic pressures that followed European contact once seriously threatened these traditions, Native people have renewed their interest in ceremonial life, and in creating and displaying crest art.