Mask of Huxwhukw (Cannibal Bird)

ca. 1940

Kwakwaka'wakw, Kwagu'l, Fort Rupert, British Columbia, ca. 1884-1962

Cannibal Bird masks dance exuberantly during the taming of the hamat’sa initiate. They represent the man-eating associates of Baxwbakwalanuxwsiwe’, the unseen Cannibal-at-the-North-End-of-the-World whose power motivates the initiate. In the firelight they exude formidable demonstrations of that power as they perform in standing, crouching and sitting positions, snapping their great beaks.

Red cedar, red cedar bark, paint, leather, wool blanket

14 1/2 x 37 in. (36.83 x 93.98 cm)

Gift of John H. Hauberg

91.1.12

Provenance: Micheal R. Johnson, Seattle, Washington, until 1973; John H. Hauberg, Seattle, Washington, 1973-1991; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington

Photo: Paul Macapia

Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, 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. 210

Holm, Bill, Box of Daylight: Northwest Coast Indian Art, Seattle Art Museum, University of Washington Press, 1983, no. 37, p. 38, illus.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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