In Pacific Northwest Coast Native art and culture, the traditional stories tell the story of a tribal nation’s ancestors and history. West coast Indigenous stories are told in spoken word, dances, songs, and masks. As a traditional Northwest coast Indigenous artist, David creates canoes, totem poles and masks based on the traditions of his people, the Kwakiutl First Nation (Kwakwak’awakw). Early in his career as a West coast artist, he studied traditional Kwakiutl art, Haida art, Salish art and West Coast art in the great museum collections of the world. Having seen firsthand the work of the old Canadian Indigenous master artists, David was inspired to carve traditional Northwest Native art.