What is the history behind the Kwakwaka WAKW bird mask?
The masks of the Kwakwaka’wakw were owned by certain individuals who alone had the right to wear them. Some masks were inherited and represented a mythological ancestor of the family of clan who, as a supernatural being, came from the sea or sky and assumed human form.
What were Kwakiutl masks used for?
Masks are highly valued by the Kwakiutl, serving as potent manifestations of ancestral spirits and supernatural beings and offering these supernatural entities temporary embodiment and communication through dance and other kinds of performance (Greenville 1998: 14).
When a Kwakwaka WAKW transformation mask was used in a ceremony?
Transformation masks, like those belonging to the Kwakwaka’wakw (pronounced Kwak-wak-ah-wak, a Pacific Northwest Coast indigenous people) and illustrated here, are worn during a potlatch, a ceremony where the host displayed his status, in part by giving away gifts to those in attendance.
What is a potlatch mask?
Potlatches and ceremonies Potlatch is a tradition that includes wearing transformation masks, singing, and dancing. Typically, these masks were carved by master carvers of the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest Coastal region.
What is the significance purpose of indigenous masks?
The masks of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast are powerful objects that assist us in defining our place in the cosmos. The ceremonial masks of the Northwest Coast display animals, humans, forces of nature and supernatural beings and play an integral role in Coastal First Nations culture.
Where is Kwakwaka WAKW?
British Columbia
Kwakiutl, self-name Kwakwaka’wakw, North American Indians who traditionally lived in what is now British Columbia, Canada, along the shores of the waterways between Vancouver Island and the mainland.
Who wore transformation masks?
A type of painted wooden mask used in ritual dances by Native American people of Alaska and the Northwest Coast. Dancers pulled strings to open the masks, transforming the sculpted image from one animal into another, or from an animal into an ancestor or mythical being. Web resource here.
Why do the Kwakwaka WAKW potlatch?
The people who speak Kwak´wala, the Kwakwaka’wakw, believe that a rich and powerful person is someone who gives the most away. The potlatch ceremony marks important occasions in the lives of the Kwakwaka’wakw: the naming of children, marriage, transferring rights and privileges and mourning the dead.
Why do the Kwakwaka WAKW Potlatch?
When did the Kwakwaka WAKW start?
At the time of European contact in 1786, the Kwakwaka’wakw formed between 23 and 27 tribes or family groups, each allied to one chief. There was always intermarriage between groups and considerable movement for economic reasons.
What did the Kwakwaka WAKW wear?
Kwakwaka’wakw clothes were the cedarbark garments common all over the Northwest Coast: capes and hats for protection from rain, robes for cold weather, and women’s aprons. Many garments were decorated with dentalia shells. Colorful nose ornaments were made of abalone shell.
