The Beggar's Mask is used to portray a character in traditional dances in several Northwest tribes. LaTausha, a 4th grader at Quileute Tribal School tells about her experience wearing the mask at a dance:
This is a carved "Beggar's Mask." Everyone says it's too heavy but it's not too heavy for me. It's made out of wood. I got to wear it during the Quileute Days last July, 1998. I put it over my head and moved the mouth with my hands. Some of the other tribal school students drummed and sang while I danced with the mask on. The great part about wearing the mask is that people toss money into the open mouth when you go by. I got to keep all the money put in the mouth! It was $32.00. I thought it was really fun. Some of the grams say that the "Beggar's Mask" is not traditional Quileute. Maybe it came from another tribe.