"As a young man, David A. Boxley hungered for authentic Tsimshian culture. Christian missionaries had whitewashed his people's past, stripping them of their language and traditions. Boxley bristled at the cheap totem poles passed off on tourists for a couple of bucks. He missed the potlatches, the totem-pole raisings, the traditional dances that bonded his people in previous generations. But Tsimshian culture had been so thoroughly erased, he had to start from scratch, studying pieces in museums to learn how to recreate the iconic Northwest style of past artists. He started dance troupes, held potlatches, and has carved more than 80 totem poles, some of which stand in the Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of the American Museum and in the University of Washington's Burke Museum. Boxley and his allies have led a revival of Tsimshian culture that is celebrated in this book" -- Provided by publisher.