Which one of these contexts is best supported by the evidence you have examined?
The Haida were becoming increasingly isolated.
The Haida tribal arts & crafts were flourishing.
The Haida were developing a sophisticated export economy.
This is the answer best supported by the evidence. The sources detail a flourishing trade between the Haida and the foreign traders. The standardized features on three different masks suggest that these articles were not necessarily a product of individualized creative expression. The support provided by the physical evidence combined with written documentation makes this context the most persuasive choice.
These "Jenna Cass" masks, named by scholars due to writing on inside of one of the masks, were collected by American mariners engaged in the sea otter pelt trade with Native Americans off the Northwest coast during the 1820s. They are so similar in design and construction that some people believe they were all made by the same artist.
This is not the best answer, as there is no direct evidence regarding artists and craftsmen. Additionally, the fact that other similar masks were collected, by different European mariners around the same time, suggests that the design of these masks was fairly standardized during this period. This leads to the theory that such masks were produced for trade rather than as a means of personal expression.
The evidence does not support this context, since two of the three sources describe the trade between the Native Americans and the European and American explorers.
The Haida were becoming increasingly isolated.
