Out of the Mist Treasures of the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Chiefs

Out of the Mist celebrates the art, culture and history of the Nuu-chah-nulth (formerly called Nootka) nations. It features the material culture - including many major art pieces - of the richly complex societies along the west coast of Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula. With the help of many Nuu-chah-nulth voices, Martha Black places the objects in context with the cultures and histories of the people who created them. HuupuKwwanum and Tupaat are Nuu-chah-nulth words that designate everything a chief owns, including hereditary names and songs, objects, dances, rights and privileges, lands, and resources. These concepts introduce non-aboriginal people to the profound philosophical, spiritual and personal connections that these objects have always had within Nuu-chah-nulth communities.

Dr Martha Black is curator of ethnology at the Royal British Columbia Museum.