Hamane'kwíla Kálxasamí (Nightmare-Bringer-Nest mask)

ca. 1880-1910

Two different cultural styles can be seen here: the carved face is Nuxalk in origin while the lobes around the mask, the eagle nest atop, and the bold repainting were added by a Kwakwaka’wakw artist sometime later. The new owner adapted the refurbished mask for use in a dance re-enactment, staged during the tla’sala ceremonial, recreating the bestowing of a supernatural treasure long ago in the family’s history.

Red cedar, paint

19 1/4 x 17 x 12 in. (48.9 x 43.18 x 30.48 cm)

Gift of John H. Hauberg

85.360

Provenance: Cadwallader Family, Fort Rupert, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, until 1968; Michael R. Johnson, Seattle, Washington, 1968-1974; John H. Hauberg, Seattle, Washington, 1974-1985; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington

Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Northwest Coast Indian Art: Selections From The Hauberg Collection, August 22, 1985 - March 16, 1986

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, The Box Of Daylight, September 15, 1983 - January 8, 1984

Published ReferencesThe Spirit Within: Northwest Coast Native Art from the John H. Hauberg Collection, Seattle Art Museum, 1995, pg. 228

Holm, Bill, Box of Daylight: Northwest Coast Indian Art, Seattle Art Museum, University of Washington Press, 1983, no. 43, p. 40, illus.

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