Alaska Native Masks Decorating

Have you ever wondered how Native Alaskans created such elaborate masks? Well, your not alone, I have pondered this question time and time again. I always wanted to know how they made the masks so decorative and full of color. What did they use to get the color to begin with? It's not like they had paint laying around to just use when ever they wanted to, Alaskan Natives had to be inventive. They would use organic material to create the colors they used on their masks. They mostly only used black, red, white, and sometimes blue or green. They would use ground charcoal to create the black paint. For the red on the masks they used ochre, which is an impure iron ore. Now, for the blue and green colors, they used copper minerals that were mixed with chewed or dried salmon eggs. I wonder how they came up with these mixtures to create these colors. Can you say, "AMAZING!"