File contains a combination of images of Kwakwaka'wakw artifacts housed in various museums and images of historical Kwakwaka'wakw villages on Vancouver Island and along the Northwest Coast of British Columbia. Artifacts include totem poles, bentwood boxes, carvings, masks, and Kwakwaka'wakw artwork such as paintings and drawings. There are historical photographs of the following villages: Gwat'sinuxw (Quatsino), Kwikwasutinuxw (Gilford Island), A'wa'etlala Village (Knight's Inlet), Mamalikala (Village Island), Wiwekalu Village of T'la'mataxw (Campbell River), Kwixa Village (Salmon River), Dunaxda'xw Village (New Vancouver), and Gwa'sala Village (Smith Inlet). The textual records include information about some of the photographs, identifying items such as the people, the villages, and/or the artifacts depicted in the photographs.

File contains images of Tsimshian artifacts housed in museums in British Columbia and in what is now known as the Canadian Museum of History. The file also contains images of Tsimshian villages along the Nass River, and historical photos of Tsimshian peoples.

Photograph of the interior totem poles of the longhouse in Alert Bay, BC, while the poles are still being carved. These poles were carved and raised before the rest of the structure. Two boys are standing near the poles.

This file contains images of Coast Salish and Kwakwaka'wakw artifacts. Many of the photos are official photographs taken by various museums in Canada and the United States, but others are historical photos. These artifacts include masks, rattles, carvings, fishing equipment and fish processing, canoes, and North Coast architecture, such as long houses and house posts.

File mainly contains historical images of the Heiltsuk, Nuxalk, and Wuikinuxv First Nations. These images depict village life, architecture and house posts, and regalia. The file contains images of a group of Nuxalk who traveled to Berlin to perform there. Images that are not historical depict a ceremony happening in the Great Hall at UBC MOA, unidentified artists working on a set of drawings, and what appears to be the Acwsalcta High School in Bella Coola. Non textual records include photocopies of photographs, and photocopies of museum catalogue cards.

The majority of the file contains historical images of the Tsilhqot'in, Secwepemc, Stl'al'lmx, and the Nlaka'pamux peoples. The photographs depict village life, including images of building structures in the BC interior, fish processing techniques such as fish drying, and carvings such as mortuary poles. Some of the images also depict First Nations people, some in regalia. The other images are official photographs taken by various museums in Canadian and American museums of Tsilhqot'in, Secwepemc, Stl'al'lmx, or Nlaka'pamux artifacts. The textual records contained in this file consist of a photocopy of a magazine article titled "Upstairs, downstairs: the early years," written by Heather Pringle, and published in the June 1996 (Volume 111, number 5) edition of the magazine Saturday Night.