Galukw’amł (Mask of the Crooked Beak)
Kwakwaka'wakw artist, Galukw’amł (Mask of the Crooked Beak), ca. 1950, red cedar, paint, red cedar bark, metal nails, leather, and cord, The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection, no known copyright restrictions, 89.52.1
This work is not currently on view.
- Title
Galukw’amł (Mask of the Crooked Beak)
- Artist
- Date
ca. 1950
- Medium
red cedar, paint, red cedar bark, metal nails, leather, and cord
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
length: 42 in
- Collection Area
Native American Art; Modern and Contemporary Art
- Category
Northwest Coast
Ceremonial and Ritual Objects
- Object Type
mask
- Cultural Group
Kwakwaka'wakw
- Credit Line
The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection
- Accession Number
89.52.1
- Copyright
no known copyright restrictions
- Terms
Worn during the winter ceremonial dances that accompany a potlatch feast, this mask represents the prestigious inherited privilege of a high-ranking individual. The layers of commercial paint reveal that this mask was repainted at a later date, perhaps to refurbish it when passed to a new owner, a hamat’sa society initiate dancer. Masks such as this one are still carved and worn in dances by Kwakwaka’wakw artists and inheritors of this privilege.
Ironically, at the time of its creation, First Nations’ ceremonial practices, including the dancing and display of this headdress, were illegal under Canadian law.
The artists working during those arduous years of forced assimilation and oppression are celebrated for carrying on traditions that continue in practice today.
