OK, here goes:
Try going to the Burke Museum at the UW for ideas, the public library for books.

For books:
1) Northwest Coast indian Art: An Analysis of Form by Bill Holm

2) Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast by Hilary Stewart

3) Northwest Coast Native Indian Art "Learning by Doing" by Karin Clark and Jim Gilbert

4) Carving Totem poles and Masks by Alan and Gill Bridgewater

5) A Time of Gathering "Native Heritage in Washington State" by Robim K. Wright

Please note that most if not all artists designs are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without their consent. Most of them make their living by selling reproductions of an original design, such as a print.

Greg Colfax on the Makah reservation is excellent. In Vancouver BC there are many many native artists, try the galleries and studios up there.

It would probably be best to see if there would be an artist willing to donate a design rather than copy an existing one, even if the original artist has long passed away.

[This message has been edited by eric s (edited 09-26-2000).]