Portrait masks depicting elderly people, especially elderly women, were a popular subject matter for carvers in the 1970s. Perhaps it was the challenge of carving wrinkles into the face while still keeping the expression kind and the surface of the mask appearing soft, but in any case, these masks were popular for artists training in and around the Gitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art (‘Ksan), in Hazelton, British Columbia. This mask is signed with an as-yet-unidentified artist’s stylized initials and dated 1977. The mask is carved in a harder wood, probably alder, and may have been created by a Nisga’a or Gitxsan student at ‘Ksan. The artist has strategically polished the face with oil, avoiding the eyes for contrast, and sparingly painted the pupils and brows in black and the lips of the woman in red. The mask also features long grey hair that’s been pulled into ponytails on both sides, framing her face.