The First Nations of the North American Pacific Northwest developed, without agriculture or writing, complex sedentary societies based on the abundance of natural resources: salmon, eulachon, marine mammals and vast cedar forests. This wealth allowed an elaborate way of life and original thought.
Their art, deeply tied to their worldview, features prodigious beings and spirit animals such as Raven, creator and ancestor of the clans. These figures, guarantors of stories and ancestral rights, adorn heraldic poles (totems), houses, masks, clothing and everyday objects. Their production follows precise symbolic and stylistic rules, making this art a sacred language.
In the 18th century, at the time of first contact with Europeans, these peoples formed a mosaic of clans in which descent was most often passed down through women. Rights, knowledge and obligations structured a vast social network that connected communities well beyond the framework of each village.
Their thought and creations have profoundly marked anthropologists and artists, from Boas and Lévi-Strauss to the Surrealists such as Max Ernst and André Breton. Today, their artistic and spiritual traditions remain alive, bearing witness to an exceptional heritage.