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The Haida Indians are original people of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their homelands are the islands near the coast of southeastern Alaska and northwest British Columbia, particularly the Haida Gwaii archipelago and Prince of Wales Island.
The tradition of mask-making and mask-wearing is very important to the Haida culture, and they are worn during ceremonies known as POTLATCHES.
A POTLATCH is a gift-giving feast held on the occasion of births, deaths, adoptions, weddings, and other major events. They are held most often during the winter months.
Potlatches are thrown by a "House" or an extended family group. The House drew its identity from its ancestral founder, usually a mythical animal who descended to earth and removed his animal mask, thus becoming human. The mask became a family heirloom passed from father to son along with the name of the ancestor himself. This made him the leader of the House, considered the living incarnation of the founder.
Performances at potlatches began to disappear with the arrival of the missionaries in the mid-1870s. The missionaries saw these ceremonies as evil and threatening to their way of looking at the world, so they did their best to make the practice illegal.
Haida masks are created using the FORMLINE style. The formline is the curving line, which tends to swell and diminish throughout a composition, that creates the outline of the chosen subject. There are generally two formlines in a northern composition, known as the primary and the secondary formline. The primary formline is often black and the secondary formline is often red, although the two colors can be reversed.
All Haida designs can be broken down into two types of forms: U-FORMS and OVOIDS
Materials used to make these masks include:
• Red and yellow cedar wood
• Strips of bark
• Paint
• Straw
Haida masks are known for their bold use of formline design and their strict color schemes: predominantly red, black and white with the occasional blue.
All families are also divided into one of two groups, Eagle and Raven. Every Haida is either Eagle or Raven, following from the mother. If one is born Raven, he or she must marry Eagle