NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Kwakwaka'wakw

The Kwakwaka'wakw (also Kwakiutl) are an Indigenous nation, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the mainland. Kwakwaka'wakw translates into "Kwak'wala speaking tribes", describing the collective tribes within their nation. Their language, now spoken by less than 5% of the population (about 250 people), is Kwak'wala. The Kwakwaka'wakw are known for their history, culture and art. In recent years, the Kwakwaka'wakw have been active on the revitalization of their culture and language. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Chief Anotklosh of the Taku Tribe, ca. ... Motto: Splendor sine occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 36 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area Ranked 5th Total 944... Vancouver Island is separated from mainland British Columbia by the Strait of Georgia and the Queen Charlotte Strait, and from Washington by the Juan De Fuca Strait. ... Kwakwala is a Wakashan language spoken by the Kwakwakawakw and Laich-kwil-tach (Euclataws or Southern Kwakiutl) people of northern Vancouver Island. ...

History

The Kwakwaka'wakw are made up of 17 tribes who all speak the common language of kwak'wala. Their society was highly stratified, with three main classes, determined by heredity: nobles, commoners, and slaves. Their economy was based primarily on fishing, with the men also engaging in some hunting, and the women gathering wild fruits and berries. Ornate weaving and woodwork were important crafts, and wealth, defined by slaves and material goods, was prominently displayed and traded at potlatch ceremonies. These customs were the subject of extensive study by the anthropologist Franz Boas. In contrast to European societies, wealth was not determined by how much you had, but by how much you had to give away. This act of giving away your wealth was one of the main acts in a potlatch. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 560 pixelsFull resolution (10000 Ã— 7000 pixel, file size: 19. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 Ã— 560 pixelsFull resolution (10000 Ã— 7000 pixel, file size: 19. ... A Gitxsan pole (left) and Kwakwakawakw pole (right) at Thunderbird Park in Victoria, British Columbia. ... Thunderbird Park is a park in Victoria, British Columbia located next to the Royal British Columbia Museum. ... This article is about the city of Victoria. ... Kwakwala is a Wakashan language spoken by the Kwakwakawakw and Laich-kwil-tach (Euclataws or Southern Kwakiutl) people of northern Vancouver Island. ... For other uses, see Potlatch (disambiguation). ... Anthropology (from Greek: á¼€Î½Î¸ÏÏ‰Ï€Î¿Ï‚, anthropos, human being; and Î»ÏŒÎ³Î¿Ï‚, logos, knowledge) is the study of humanity. ... Franz Boas Franz Boas (July 9, 1858 â€“ December 21, 1942[1]) was one of the pioneers of modern anthropology and is often called the Father of American Anthropology. Born in Germany, Boas worked for most of his life in North America. ... For other uses, see Potlatch (disambiguation). ...

Disease, which developed as a result of direct contact with European settlers along the West Coast of Canada, drastically reduced the Indigenous Kwakwaka'wakw population during the late nineteenth-early twentieth century.

First contact

A French man named Frace Vaun Broun discovered this tribe by shooting what he thought was a deer but turned out to be their chief.

Colonization

Residential School

Post-colonization

Territory

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (650x2160, 714 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): British Columbia Kwakwakawakw mythology Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (650x2160, 714 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): British Columbia Kwakwakawakw mythology Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or...

The Tribes

The Kwakwaka'wakw are organized into 17 different tribes. Each tribe has its own history, culture, and peoples, but remain collectively similar as they are all kwak'wala speaking peoples.

The KwaguÅ‚ (Kwagyuilh) are an Indigenous nation, apart of the Kwakwakawakw, in central British Columbia, on northern Vancouver Island,. Their main village is Tsaxis, or Fort Rupert. ... The Mamalilikala are an Indigenous nation, apart of the Kwakwakawakw, in central British Columbia, on northern Vancouver Island. ... Totem poles in front of homes in Alert Bay in the 1900s The Namgis are an Indigenous nation, apart of the Kwakwakawakw, in central British Columbia, on northern Vancouver Island. ...

Culture and society

The Kwakwaka'wakw are highly stratified bilineal culture of the Pacific Northwest. The Kwakwaka'wakw as a whole make up 17 separate tribes, each with their own history, culture and governance. Commonly among the tribes, there would be a tribal chief, who acted as the head chief of the entire tribe, then below him numerous clan or family chiefs. In some of the tribes, their also existed Eagle Chiefs, but this was a separate society within the main society and apart of the potlatching only. The Kwakwaka'wakw are one of the few bilineal cultures. Traditionally the rights of the family would be passed down through the paternal side, but in rare occasions, one could take the maternal side of their family also. Within the pre-colonization times, the Kwakwaka'wakw were made up of three classes; nobles, commoners, and slaves. The Kwakwaka'wakw shared many cultural and political alliances with numerous neighbors in the area including the Nuu-chah-nulth, Heiltsuk, Wuikinuxv and some Coast Salish. Image File history File links Alert_Bay_Totems. ... Image File history File links Alert_Bay_Totems. ... The Nuu-chah-nulth (pronounced New-cha-nulth) (also formerly referred to as the Nootka, Nutka, Aht, West Coast, Tâ€™aatâ€™aaqsapa, Nuuchahnulth) people are indigenous peoples of Canada. ... Heiltsuk (pronounced HAIL-tsuk)(also Bella Bella) is a dialect (or a sublanguage) of the North Wakashan (Kwakiutlan) language Heiltsuk-Oowekyala that is spoken by a few Haihai and Bella Bella Native Americans around Bella Bella and Klemtu, British Columbia. ... The Wuikinuxv people also known as the Wuikenukv, Oweekeno, Wikeno, Owikeno, Oowekeeno, Oweekano, Awikenox, or Rivers Inlet people, are a First Nations people of the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, located around Rivers Inlet and Owikeno Lake, to the north of Queen Charlotte Strait. ... The Coast Salish are a group of Salishan-speaking First Nations/Native American in British Columbia and Washington. ...

Language

Kwak'wala (also Kwagiutl or Kwakiutl) is the Indigenous language spoken by the Kwakwaka'wakw. It belongs to the Wakashan language family. There are about 250 Kwak'wala speakers today, which amounts to 5% of the Kwakwaka'wakw population. Because of the small number of speakers, and the fact that very few children learn Kwak'wala as a first language, its long-term viability is in question. However, interest from many Kwakwaka'wakw in preserving their language and a number of revitalization projects are countervailing pressures which may extend the viability of the language. Kwakwala is a Wakashan language spoken by the Kwakwakawakw and Laich-kwil-tach (Euclataws or Southern Kwakiutl) people of northern Vancouver Island. ...

Potlatch

The potlatch culture of the Northwest is famous and widely-studied and remains alive in Kwakwaka'wakw, as does the lavish artwork for which their people and their neighbours are so renowned. The phenomenon of the potlatch and the vibrant societies and cultures associated with it can be found in Chiefly Feasts: The Enduring Kwakiutl Potlatch , which details the incredible artwork and legendary material that go with the other aspects of the potlatch, and gives a glimpse into the high politics and great wealth and power of the Kwakwaka'wakw chiefs. For other uses, see Potlatch (disambiguation). ...

Art

Music

Kwakwaka'wakw music is the ancient art of the Indigenous or Aboriginal Kwakwaka'wakw peoples.. The music is an ancient art form, stretching back thousands of years. The music is used primarily for ceremony and ritual, and is based around percussive instrumentation, especially , log, box, and hide drums, as well as rattles and whistles. The four-day Klasila festival is an important cultural display of song and dance; it occurs just before the advent of the tsetseka, or winter. Kwakwakawakw music is the ancient art of the Indigenous or Aboriginal Kwakwakawakw peoples. ...

War

Mythology

Food

The Kwakiutl lived in the Northwest Coast region and were excellent hunters, fishers, and gatherers. They mainly ate berries for fruit and the major catches for fish was Salmon traveling upriver in the summer. They sometimes went whale harpooning. The trip could last for days while the whale was being stalked. The wealthiest sometimes threw potlatches or giveaways where they would give most of their possessions to the guests as a way to show wealth and power.

Notable Kwakwaka'wakw

David Neel is a Canadian writer, photographer, and artist who is a member of the Kwakwakawakw (formerly Kwakiutl) First Nation of coastal British Columbia. ... James Aul Sewid (January 1, 1913 â€“ May 18, 1988) was a Canadian fisherman, author and former Chief councillor of the Kwakwakawakw at Alert Bay, British Columbia. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Calvin Hunt (b. ... Henry Hunt (b. ... For other persons named Richard Hunt, see Richard Hunt (disambiguation). ... Tony Hunt (b. ... Mungo Martin Chief Mungo Martin or Nakapenkim (meaning a potlatch chief ten times over), Datsa (meaning grandfather), was a noted expert in the Northwest Coast style of artwork, a singer, and a songwriter. ...

Footnotes

^ Thunderbird Park – A Place of Cultural Sharing. Royal British Columbia Museum. Retrieved on 2006-06-24. House built by Mungo Martin and David Martin with carpenter Robert J. Wallace. Based on Chief Nakap'ankam's house in Tsaxis (Fort Rupert). The house "bears on its house-posts the hereditary crests of Martin's family." It continues to be used for ceremonies with the permission of Chief Oast'akalagalis 'Walas 'Namugwis (Peter Knox, Martin's grandson) and Mable Knox. Pole carved by Mungo Martin, David Martin and Mildred Hunt. "Rather than display his own crests on the pole, which was customary, Martin chose to include crests representing the A'wa'etlala, Kwagu'l, 'Nak'waxda'xw and 'Namgis Nations. In this way, the pole represents and honours all the Kwakwaka'wakw people."

Chiefly Feasts: The Enduring Kwakiutl Potlatch Aldona Jonaitis (Editor) U. Washington Press 1991 (also a publication of the American Museum of Natural History)
Bancroft-Hunt, Norman. People of the Totem: The Indians of the Pacific Northwest University of Oklahoma Press, 1988

Historical museum located in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Contents

History

First contact

Colonization

Residential School

Post-colonization

Territory

The Tribes

Culture and society

Language

Potlatch

Art

Music

War

Mythology

Food

Notable Kwakwaka'wakw

Footnotes

See also

External links

Contents

History GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

First contact

Colonization

Residential School

Post-colonization

Territory

The Tribes

Culture and society

Language

Potlatch

Art

Music

War

Mythology

Food

Notable Kwakwaka'wakw

Footnotes

See also

External links

History