Potlatch Ban (1884–1951): The Canadian government outlawed the potlatch, a central cultural and artistic ceremony, criminalizing the exchange and creation of regalia, masks, and carvings.

Missionary Suppression: Christian missionaries condemned Indigenous art as “pagan,” leading to the destruction or confiscation of ceremonial objects and discouraging traditional artistic expression.

Residential Schools: Children were forcibly removed and punished for speaking their languages or practising their cultures, severing intergenerational transmission of artistic knowledge.

Confiscation and Theft: Museums, collectors, and government agents seized or bought cultural items under duress, removing them from their communities and disrupting continuity.

Colonial Economic Disruption: The imposition of the cash economy and resource extraction industries devalued traditional arts as livelihoods and redirected labour away from cultural production.

Cultural Appropriation: Non-Indigenous artists and companies reproduced Indigenous designs without consent, distorting their meanings and undermining authentic artists.

Land Dispossession: Forced relocation and loss of access to traditional territories limited the availability of carving materials like cedar, abalone, and natural dyes.

Assimilation Policies: Government efforts to "civilize" already civilized Indigenous peoples, including banning ceremonies, regalia, and dances, suppressed the contexts where art was created and used.

Loss of Mentorship Networks: With elders silenced or marginalized, apprenticeships and clan-based teaching systems collapsed, breaking traditional art lineages.

Commercialization and Misrepresentation: The tourist and souvenir trade commodified sacred imagery, shifting focus from community-based meaning to market aesthetics, eroding authenticity.