Here is an AY Jackson (yes, the 'Group of Seven' AY) painting of "Kispayaks". This is one of a Skeena River series now available only in Marius Barbeau's Downfall of Temlahm. A painterly formula emerges from these paintings: foreground = person middle ground = cultural-native, background = Mountain

The message, if any, seems to be human (ephemeral), cultural (changing), and mountains (eternal).
Sometimes the focus is near on a person as symbol for (Gitskan) culture and others like the above see mainly the eternal mountains

Mountains become also signatures of place

Here is a photo of the Inlander leaving wharf (1910?) with passengers going upriver. Even without my darkening out the waving people, we see Mt. Morse in the background, and know the photo was taken in Prince Rupert harbour.

 The formula is similar-- our immediate attention drawn to the people waving, then the cultural middleground (Inlander riverboat); and finally the 'unchanging' mountain.

 Here is a Ruth Harvey painting using a similar strategy. (right) and (now abandoned) Port Essington on left.

Port Essington with "Tyee Mountain as signature in background

Perhaps then we should pay more attention to our mountains

This is a series then which will try to bring mountains back into our (meaning late 20^th century urbanites) attention, our conception of place-- cultural and personal.

Mounts Mission and Morse PR Harbour

Unamed Mountains at Butze Rapids