Mask of Huxwhukw (Cannibal Bird)
Dateca. 1940
Maker
Mungo Martin (Nakapankam)
Kwakwaka'wakw, Kwagu'l, Fort Rupert, British Columbia, ca. 1884-1962
Label TextCannibal 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.
Object number91.1.12
ProvenanceMicheal R. Johnson, Seattle, Washington, until 1973; John H. Hauberg, Seattle, Washington, 1973-1991; Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington
Photo CreditPhoto: Paul Macapia
Exhibition HistorySeattle, 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. 210
Holm, Bill, Box of Daylight: Northwest Coast Indian Art, Seattle Art Museum, University of Washington Press, 1983, no. 37, p. 38, illus.Credit LineGift of John H. Hauberg
Dimensions14 1/2 x 37 in. (36.83 x 93.98 cm)
MediumRed cedar, red cedar bark, paint, leather, wool blanket
Native American, Kwakwaka'wakw
ca. 1940
Object number: 91.1.13
Mungo Martin (Nakapankam)
ca. 1940
Object number: 91.1.7
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