The years between 1922 and 1961, often referred to as the “Dark Ages of Northwest Coast art,” have largely been ignored by art historians, and dismissed as a period of artistic decline. Tales of Ghosts compellingly reclaims this era, arguing that it was instead a critical period during which the art played an important role in public discourses on the status of First Nations people in Canadian society. Those with an interest in First Nations and Canadian history and art history, anthropology, museology, and post-colonial studies will be delighted by the publication of this major contribution to their fields. Ronald W. Hawker exposes and then considers the multiple ways in which meaning has been created and consumed around First Nations art objects by its viewing audiences. In so doing, he brings a new line to bear on the role Native art has played in the negotiation of social and geographical spaces in British Columbia. The book will interest scholars of Native studies, Canadian art history, anthropology, and cultural studies. -- Andrea N. Walsh ― University of Toronto Quarterly, Winter 2004/05 Tales of Ghosts is an extremely important contribution to scholarship. It addresses the almost entirely ignored work of First Nations artists from 1922 to 1961 ... And demonstrates that the period heretofore considered one of decline was actually one of intense artistic productivity. The author situates this productivity into its social and political context. This has never been done, and represents a major shift in focus on how Northwest Coast art history is treated. Tales of Ghosts will become a major and influential scholarly work. -- Aldona Jonaitis, Director of the University of Alaska Museum and author of Chiefly Feasts: The Enduring Kwakiutl Potlatch Tales of Ghosts addresses a major gap in our understanding of the historical dialogue between Euro-Canadian and First Nations communities and cultures ... It successfully extends current postcolonial debates to Canadian landmarks that are usually taken for granted and that have been overlooked by both anthropologists and art historians. There is no comparable publication on this material. Indeed, there is a great need for studies of this kind in the areas of Canadian historical and cultural studies. -- Gerta Moray, Professor of Fine Art, University of Guelph, and author of Unsettled Encounters: The Indian Pictures of Emily Carr " Tales of Ghosts . . . addresses the almost entirely ignored work of First Nations artists from 1922 to 1961 . . . and demonstrates that the period heretofore considered one of decline was actually one of intense artistic productivity. The author situates this productivity into its social and political context. This has never been done, and represents a major shift in the focus on how Northwest Coast art history is treated. Tales of Ghosts will become a major and influential scholarly work."―Aldona Jonaitis, Director of the Alaska Museum and author of Chiefly Feasts: The Enduring Kwakiutl Potlatch An insightful examination of the complex functions of Northwest Coast art objects produced between 1922 and 1961, and a vital addition to First Nations and Canadian history. Ronald W. Hawker is Assistant Professor, Department of Art and Design, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.