NLaka'pamux territory is rich in decorative materials. Paints and dyes can be made from coloured clays and plants; fur, feathers, quills and bones come from hunting and trapping. The value of the ornaments and the colour and design of the imagery both enhanced personal appearance and defined a person's place in the community.

Man's Cape, NLaka'pamux, collected 1913. Canadian Museum of Civilization II-C-606

Images were painted on clothing as decorative motifs or to represent an object, place or event. One design can have many interpretations; a dot is sometimes identified as a star, a cloud, a bullet or a rain drop. Occasionally, images were combined to tell a story. Through the paintings on their clothing, people told about themselves. Often the images referred to religious experiences that were private and personal. The painter used recognizable symbols, but combined them in ways that suggested, but did not reveal, the wearer's meaning. The explanations of the imagery on these garments were given at the turn of the century by the original painter, or suggested by members of the community familiar with symbolic interpretation.

Young woman's dress, acquired 1916.
Canadian Museum of Civilization II-C-587

Bone and shell beads for jewellery were part of historic trading patterns with other Native communities on the Northwest Coast and Prairies. European glass beads became available late in the eighteenth century.

Man's necklace, acquired 1925. Canadian Museum of Civilization II-C-527 Woman's necklace, acquired 1925. Canadian Museum of Civilization II-C-257

Plant and mineral sources provided a full range of colours from reds and browns to yellows, greens and blues. Black could be made from ashes and soot and white from ground shells or bone. Colour hue and intensity could be varied by the choice and mixing of the pigment and different oil or water bases.

Scratcher, acquired 1916.
Canadian Museum of Civilization II-C-534