Raven's Village: The Myths, Arts and Traditions of Native People from the Pacific Northwest Coast

Daniel M. Kolos is president of Benben Books, a company publishing
scholarly works.

This gallery guide introduces readers to some of the timeless icons
produced by the six Native nations of the Pacific Northwest
coast—namely, the Coastal Salish, the Nuu-Chah-Nulth, the Central
Coast Salish, the Nuxalk, the Haida, and the northern Tsimshian.

At the centre of the exhibit are six meticulously reconstructed houses,
whose cultural richness was no doubt achieved with the help of village
elders and Native artisans. Also provided in the guide are individual
chapters on the intricately carved poles for which these nations have
long been famous, on an archeological dig that reconstructs the best
aspects of real “dirt” archeology (stratigraphy), and on the
anthropological aspects of Northwest daily life.

A pleasure to read, this book brings Native history to life but fails
to connect that history to the present.