Featured Woodland School painting

I find myself strangely intrigued by a painting I ran across today in an antique shop. Painted in what looks to be acrylics on birch bark, mounted on plywood, I think this could be an early (1950’s or 1960’s) example of the Woodland School of art. Unfortunately, it’s unsigned, and I have no idea who the artist is. Does anybody know? Perhaps someone might recognize the style. Also, any ideas about the type of animal or mythical creature depicted?

 

Looks like a Koala to me. Maybe bark from a Melaleuca tree. It's known as the paper bark tree.

I once had this bark collage:

 

Closest I have found so far. Described as close up of an animal carved on an Inuit totem pole. The eyes are wrong though.

https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo-totem-animal-image25137490

 

A totem pole attributed to the Inuit is a mistake, but others'll be able to say more.

 

Definitely from a west coast tribe, rather than Inuit, but thanks!

 

Yeah, I searched through images for a while. Bunch of three-toed critters with their limbs curled inward on a lot of totem poles all up and down the northwest plus Alaska too. Only one person identified a similar creature as a Tinglit (I don't know if I spelled that right) wolf clan totem.

@komokwa and @Taupou should know. None of the pictures I've seen have the rectangle shaped eyes with outer corners angled upwards.

 

Perhaps a depiction of the Haida Mouse Woman, though not entirely in traditional form.

 

Laura's close enuf with the photo.....

it has mostly Bear attributes..

Alaskan Tlingit is possible.....but it's so far from a quality depiction that if if was made by a native tribal member ...he hadn't seen is cultures art work in some time , leading me to presume it's from the dead time between the late 30's to early 50's .

 

It looks a bit mousey to me, but hard to say for sure since as KOMO says,

It does certainly have a number of NW Coast attributes.

 

it does....& is NWC style.....
but mouse woman...as legend goes, was rarely seen....and even more rarely seen in the art work...
Now one can find her....but several years ago.....near impossible expect for The Black Canoe...

 

I think it looks like something that would emerge if a frog and a mouse could have a baby.

 

I hate to admit it but.............????......&.