Documentary backdrop image for Behind the Masks (2018)

201837 minGdocumentary

indigenous-histories art-history

Behind the Masks

201837 minGdocumentary

Indigenous masks from the North Pacific coast are examined through the insights of Professor Claude Levi-Strauss, a prominent anthropologist.

indigenous-histories art-history

Genres

Channel: NFB

Behind the Masks

2018• 37 minG

Synopsis

Indigenous masks from the North Pacific coast are examined through the insights of Professor Claude Levi-Strauss, a prominent anthropologist.

Synopsis

A fascinating look at the meaning behind some Indigenous masks from the North Pacific coast. Expositor and lecturer is Professor Claude Levi-Strauss of Paris, world-renowned anthropologist and authority on the structural analysis of myth.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Reel Injun (2025)

Reel Injun

2025•1h29m•★7.0TMDB

Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond travels 4,000 miles through the American West to examine Hollywood's portrayal of Indigenous peoples and its impact on culture.

The Queen's Influence: The Vanishing Culture of Hiko in Tonga | Polynesian Documentary (2024)

The Queen's Influence: The Vanishing Culture of Hiko in Tonga | Polynesian Documentary

An entire country of women jugglers exists in Tonga, where the tradition of Hiko is passed down from mothers to daughters through oral history.

The Queen's Influence: The Vanishing Culture of Hiko in Tonga | Polynesian Documentary

The Lord of Sipan - True Story Documentary Channel (2023)

The Lord of Sipan - True Story Documentary Channel

Moche culture, which thrived on the northern coast of Peru from 100 BC to 600 AD, is explored through the archaeological work of Walter Alva and recent discoveries.

The Lord of Sipan - True Story Documentary Channel

Getting Lost in the Amazon with the Matis Tribe (2024)

Getting Lost in the Amazon with the Matis Tribe

Eva zu Beck boards a boat in Leticia, Colombia, to meet the Matis tribe and learn their traditional navigation skills in the Amazon rainforest.

Getting Lost in the Amazon with the Matis Tribe

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief (2025)

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief

Five Indigenous women discuss their careers and the influence of their culture, including the legacy of residential schools, on their identities.

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief

Lands of Legends: Where Traditions Still Shape Everyday Life (2026)

Lands of Legends: Where Traditions Still Shape Everyday Life

In Madagascar, sacred crocodiles, white yaks in Nepal, and warrior horses in Indonesia exemplify the enduring connections between humans and nature across diverse cultures.

Lands of Legends: Where Traditions Still Shape Everyday Life

How Ancient Voyagers Crossed the Ocean (2026)

How Ancient Voyagers Crossed the Ocean

Ancient Pacific voyagers, guided by ancestral knowledge, navigated the treacherous waters of the Pacific Ocean, settling islands from Guam to Vanuatu.

How Ancient Voyagers Crossed the Ocean

The Pretendians: Fake Indigenous People? (2025)

The Pretendians: Fake Indigenous People?

In Canada, allegations of individuals falsely claiming Indigenous identity raise questions about cultural appropriation, identity, and the impact on real Indigenous communities.

The Pretendians: Fake Indigenous People?

The Last Initiation: Twenty Years of Trust, One Sacred Ritual (2026)

The Last Initiation: Twenty Years of Trust, One Sacred Ritual

In Papua New Guinea's Kapo island, photographer Marc Dozier documents a sacred initiation ceremony of the Kombe tribe, reflecting two decades of trust and cultural continuity.

The Last Initiation: Twenty Years of Trust, One Sacred Ritual

Mystery Mummies of New Guinea (2026)

Mystery Mummies of New Guinea

Ulla Lohmann documents the mummification of Gemtasu, a village elder, as part of a tradition that preserves ancestors in cliffside galleries.

Mystery Mummies of New Guinea

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime (2023)

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime

Rembrandt's artworks, created throughout his adult life, have been dispersed worldwide, each with its own unique history and significance.

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime

The Ancient Mayans: How Did Such An Advanced Society Collapse? | Archaeology (2022)

The Ancient Mayans: How Did Such An Advanced Society Collapse? | Archaeology

Ancient Mayan civilization, once governed by astronomer-priests, is examined through the lens of Yuri Knorosov's breakthrough in deciphering their hieroglyphic writing.

The Ancient Mayans: How Did Such An Advanced Society Collapse? | Archaeology

Explore Behind the Masks

Where else to watch

Reel Injun (2025)

Reel Injun

2025•1h29m•★7.0TMDB

Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond travels 4,000 miles through the American West to examine Hollywood's portrayal of Indigenous peoples and its impact on culture.

No digital watch option in your country

The Modern Jungle (2016)

The Modern Jungle

2016•1h12m•★5.4TMDB

In Chiapas, Mexico, a local shaman highlights the challenges faced by the Zoque culture as globalization impacts their traditional beliefs and practices.

The Modern Jungle

Secrets of the Tribe (2010)

Secrets of the Tribe

2010•1h38m•★6.9TMDB

Western anthropologists studying the Yanomami tribe in the Amazon have caused significant disruption and ignited conflict within the anthropology community.

Secrets of the Tribe

The Pixar Story (2007)

The Pixar Story

2007•1h27m•★7.5TMDB

John Lasseter and key figures like Steve Jobs and Ed Catmull reflect on Pixar Animation Studios' evolution from a graphics company to an animation leader.

The Pixar Story

50 Years Legal (2017)

50 Years Legal

2017•1h30m•★6.0TMDB

Fifty years after the decriminalization of homosexuality in the UK, activists discuss the evolution of gay culture and ongoing challenges for the LGBTQ+ community.

Browse more like this

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief (2025)

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief

Five Indigenous women discuss their careers and the influence of their culture, including the legacy of residential schools, on their identities.

Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief

No digital watch option in your country

Lands of Legends: Where Traditions Still Shape Everyday Life (2026)

Lands of Legends: Where Traditions Still Shape Everyday Life

In Madagascar, sacred crocodiles, white yaks in Nepal, and warrior horses in Indonesia exemplify the enduring connections between humans and nature across diverse cultures.

Lands of Legends: Where Traditions Still Shape Everyday Life

No digital watch option in your country

How Ancient Voyagers Crossed the Ocean (2026)

How Ancient Voyagers Crossed the Ocean

Ancient Pacific voyagers, guided by ancestral knowledge, navigated the treacherous waters of the Pacific Ocean, settling islands from Guam to Vanuatu.

How Ancient Voyagers Crossed the Ocean

No digital watch option in your country

The Pretendians: Fake Indigenous People? (2025)

The Pretendians: Fake Indigenous People?

In Canada, allegations of individuals falsely claiming Indigenous identity raise questions about cultural appropriation, identity, and the impact on real Indigenous communities.

The Pretendians: Fake Indigenous People?

No digital watch option in your country

Mystery Mummies of New Guinea (2026)

Mystery Mummies of New Guinea

Ulla Lohmann documents the mummification of Gemtasu, a village elder, as part of a tradition that preserves ancestors in cliffside galleries.

Mystery Mummies of New Guinea

No digital watch option in your country

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime (2023)

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime

Rembrandt's artworks, created throughout his adult life, have been dispersed worldwide, each with its own unique history and significance.

The Many Faces Of Rembrandt - Raiders of the Lost Art S02E03 - True Crime

No digital watch option in your country

The Ancient Mayans: How Did Such An Advanced Society Collapse? | Archaeology (2022)

The Ancient Mayans: How Did Such An Advanced Society Collapse? | Archaeology

Ancient Mayan civilization, once governed by astronomer-priests, is examined through the lens of Yuri Knorosov's breakthrough in deciphering their hieroglyphic writing.

The Ancient Mayans: How Did Such An Advanced Society Collapse? | Archaeology

No digital watch option in your country

So Surreal: Behind the Masks (2024)

So Surreal: Behind the Masks

2024•1h28m•★8.0TMDB

A mask stolen from the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw people over a century ago is the focus of a quest for restitution that spans Canada and Europe.

So Surreal: Behind the Masks

Masters of the Pacific Coast: The Tribes of the American Northwest (2016)

Masters of the Pacific Coast: The Tribes of the American Northwest

2016•59m•★8.0TMDB

Dr. Jago Cooper investigates the histories, traditions, and challenges faced by the indigenous tribes of the American Northwest.

Masters of the Pacific Coast: The Tribes of the American Northwest

Miko the clairvoyant chef (2016)

Miko the clairvoyant chef

2016•26m•★9.0TMDB

Michel Toofa Pouira Krainer, known as Chief Miko, promotes Polynesian cultural revival through his work as a chef, sculptor, and activist in French Polynesia.

Miko the clairvoyant chef

Pacific Mother (2023)

Pacific Mother

2023•1h28m•★9.0TMDB

Five women share their experiences of childbirth across various settings, including hospitals, homes, and the ocean, while advocating for birthing rights.

Cracks in the Mask (1997)

Cracks in the Mask

1997•57m•★7.0TMDB

A century ago, the Torres Strait Islanders lost their cultural artifacts to the Cambridge Anthropological Expedition, leaving them with a history of remembered loss.

Cracks in the Mask

Tales of Masked Men (2012)

Tales of Masked Men

2012•55m•★7.9TMDB

Three legendary luchadores reveal their unique stories and impact on Mexican culture through interviews and footage in this 55-minute documentary.

Tales of Masked Men

Tatau (2019)

Tatau

2019•36m•★10.0TMDB

Six tattoo artists from New Zealand and French Polynesia discuss the cultural significance of their craft in a 36-minute film.

SWK4 (1993)

SWK4

1993•33m•★9.5TMDB

José de Almada Negreiros, a Futurist artist, articulates his philosophy on identity and self-perception through his work in this exploration of his artistic vision.

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →