Native American Art Well my friend, let me tell you of the distinguishing characteristics of Native American art, so that you might tell one geographic region from another. Art from the arctic region dealt predominantly with the animals that insured the Eskimo peoples survival. Their art was often done on walrus ivory and bone, and pictorially dealt with schematic suggestions rather than realistic detail. Shaman Eskimos created masks, which would help them to get in touch with the spirit helper, which was the focus of the mask. These masks often had hoops around them, which represented the levels of their universe. The people of the Northwest Coast made art t