Huxwhukw'iwe' (mask of the Huxwhukw)

Huxwhukw'iwe' (mask of the Huxwhukw)

ca. 1938

Willie Seaweed (Hilamas)

Kwakwaka'wakw, 'Nak'waxda'xw, Blunden Harbour, 1873 - 1967

A masterful representation of the skull-crushing, man-eating Huxwhukw, Seaweed imparts carved and painted elements that work in harmony to create a sense of fluid movement, much like the high-stepping, swaying dance of the Cannibal Birds. Known for his dramatic flair, Seaweed places a curved-beak face below the lower jaw of Huxwhukw, which would have been visible as the dancer thrust the beak upward.
Red cedar, red cedar bark, paint, eagle feathers, leather, cord
9 1/2 x 16 1/8 in. (24.13 x 40.96 cm)
L.: 63 3/4 in.
Gift of John H. Hauberg
91.1.2
Provenance: Micheal R. Johnson, Seattle, Washington, until 1973; John H. Hauberg, Seattle, Washington, 1973-1991; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
location
Now on view at the Seattle Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistoryPacific Science Center, Seattle, Washington, Smoky-Top: The Art and Times of Willie Seaweed, September 1983 - February 1984
Published ReferencesHolm, Bill, Smoky-Top: The Art and Times of Willie Seaweed, Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1983, fig. 61.

Selected Works, Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1991, p. 69

The Spirit Within: Northwest Coast Native Art from the John H. Hauberg Collection, Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1995, p. 206

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