A well-carved Ba̱k’wa̱s, or Wild Man of the Woods, mask by the Gilford Island-based Kwakwa̱ka̱’wakw carver Jack James. He was known for making masks for both cultural use as well as sale, and for making complex model poles with a primary white ground paint, a common feature on objects created by artists from Gilford Island. Commenting on a similar Ba̱k’wa̱s mask by James, Steve Brown noted “The influence of Henry Speck and other flamboyant artists of this period can be seen in the repetitive use of a white background design in the painted composition. The emphasis of white paint, the shape of the nose, and the closed center of the mouth are traits attributable to a Gilford Island style of the 1960s and 1970s…” [1]

Like the mask Brown was discussing, this mask has a preponderance of burgundy paint with white highlights and prominent, bright red lips that are pursed in an almost beak-like shape. The ears of the Ba̱k’wa̱s are formed out of angular, red-painted split-u forms that have been outlined in white paint. The toothless mouth of this mask is an unusual feature for a Ba̱k’wa̱s mask, but in this case, it helps emphasize the huge red lips and beak-like shape of the mouth to create a highly expressive face.

1. Brown, Steven. 1998. Native Visions: Evolution in Northwest Coast Art from the Eighteenth through the Twentieth Century. Vancouver: Seattle Art Museum in association with Douglas & McIntyre, 155.