Pacific Northwest Coastal Salish Art Mask Signed Sasquatch First Peoples Canada

Description

This is an exceptional and rare First Nation SALISH mask from the Pacific Northwest. Dated and signed on the inside by the artist, "DONNY FELIX" also inscribed by artist are "SASQUATCH MASK"  "SALISH" and date "MAY 4/78"
Extremely rare example of Sasquatch or "Big Foot" portrayed in Native North American tribal art.
In overall very good condition, no cracks, left side of face has some scratches (see images) Original leather band intact
Northwest Coast Native art is very well known globally, primarily for the monumental totem poles and spectacular masked performances of the First Peoples of the northwestern British Columbia and Alaska.
The Coast Salish is a group of ethnically and linguistically related indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living in British Columbia, Canada and the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. They speak one of the Coast Salish languages. Nuxalk (Bella Coola) nation are usually included in the group, although their language is more closely related to Interior Salish languages.
The Coast Salish are a big loose grouping of many tribes with numerous distinct cultures and languages. Territory claimed by Coast Salish peoples span from the northern limit of the Strait of Georgia on the inside of Vancouver Island and covers most of southern Vancouver Island, all of the Lower Mainland and most of Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula (except for territories of now-extinct Chemakum people). Their traditional territories coincide with modern major metropolitan areas, namely Victoria, Vancouver, and Seattle. The Tillamook or Nehalem around Tillamook, Oregon are the southernmost of the Coast Salish peoples.
The Coast Salish cultures differ considerably from those of their northern neighbours. It is one of the few indigenous cultures along the coast with a patrilineal rather than matrilineal kinship system, with inheritance and descent passed through the male line. According to a 2013 estimate, the population of Coast Salish numbers at least 56,590 people, made up of 28,406 Status Indians registered to Coast Salish bands in British Columbia, and 28,284 enrolled members of federally recognized Coast Salish tribes in Washington State.
Pacific Northwest First Peoples honored animals in a variety of ceremonies, the most important of which were the great midwinter hunting festivals. During many of these, masks carved by shamans or under their supervision were worn in special dances to please the spirits. As intermediaries between people and spirits, shamans learned the wishes of game animals from visions and trips to the spirit world. Masks could also represent the shaman’s spiritual helpers, which he would try to influence in times of need. Sometimes hung in houses to ward off harmful spirits, masks were also occasionally placed with the dead or used in non-spiritual contexts for popular entertainment.
Measures 9 inches tall by 7.5 inches wide by 4 inches deep.
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