Huxwhukw'iwe' (mask of the Huxwhukw)

ca. 1938

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

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

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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