Kwanxwaml (Thunderbird Hamat'sa headdress)
Dateearly 20th century
Label TextConstructed in several pieces and attached to a cloth head ring, this exuberant depiction of Thunderbird would be worn by the subdued hamat’sa dancer during the final phase of initiation. Following the dancer’s restoration to a normal state, he and others will don masks depicting family crests, such as Thunderbird.
Object number91.1.5
ProvenanceMicheal R. Johnson, Seattle, Washington, until 1973; John H. Hauberg, Seattle, Washington, 1973-1991; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Documents International: Reflections in the Mirror: A World of Identity, April 23, 1998 - June 20, 1999
Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, The Box of Daylight, September 15, 1983 - January 8, 1984Published ReferencesThe Spirit Within: Northwest Coast Native Art from the John H. Hauberg Collection, Seattle Art Museum, 1995, pg. 218
Holm, Bill, Box of Daylight: Northwest Coast Indian Art, Seattle Art Museum, University of Washington Press, 1983, no. 54, p. 46, illus.Credit LineGift of John H. Hauberg
Dimensions10 x 14 1/2 x 24 1/2 in. (25.4 x 36.83 x 62.23 cm)
MediumYellow cedar, cedar bark, cloth, and paint
Native American, Kwakwaka'wakw
ca. 1940
Object number: 91.1.13
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