Who Are the Kwakwaka'wakw?
The Kwakwaka'wakw (formerly Kwakiutl) are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast, numbering approximately 7,000. They inhabit northern Vancouver Island, the adjacent mainland, and islands in between, in British Columbia. They speak Kwak'wala, a Wakashan language. The name Kwakwaka'wakw means "Those who speak Kwak'wala"; "Kwakiutl" properly refers only to one band. Famous for their elaborate potlatches (which Canadian law banned 1884-1951), dramatic masked ceremonies, and monumental art, the Kwakwaka'wakw maintained cultural practices through persecution, their defiance eventually helping end the potlatch ban. Franz Boas's extensive documentation made them among the most studied indigenous peoples.
Potlatch Culture
The potlatch—ceremonial feast with gift-giving—reached its most elaborate form among the Kwakwaka'wakw. Hosts gave away or destroyed enormous wealth—blankets, coppers (shield-shaped plaques worth thousands of blankets), canoes, even houses. This "fighting with property" established rank, validated names and privileges, and distributed resources. Winter ceremonies featured masked dances; secret societies (Hamatsa, Dluwulaxa) performed dramatic rituals including staged cannibalism and spirit possession. These spectacular performances—with transformation masks, fire tricks, and theatrical effects—demonstrated supernatural power. Such elaborate ceremonialism developed in a society of ranked lineages competing for status.
Colonial Persecution
Canadian authorities viewed the potlatch as wasteful and contrary to capitalist values. The 1884 potlatch ban criminalized the central institution of Kwakwaka'wakw life. Enforcement intensified; in 1921, police raided a major potlatch at Alert Bay, arresting participants. Confiscated regalia—masks, coppers, robes—were sent to museums in Ottawa and elsewhere. Some practitioners were imprisoned; many continued secretly. The ban devastated communities but never completely suppressed the potlatch. When the ban lifted (1951), the Kwakwaka'wakw immediately resumed public ceremonies. The return of confiscated items (1970s-80s) enabled the U'mista Cultural Centre's establishment.
Boas and Documentation
Anthropologist Franz Boas conducted extensive research among the Kwakwaka'wakw (1886-1930s), producing thousands of pages of documentation. Working with George Hunt (Tlingit-Scottish married into Kwakwaka'wakw), Boas recorded ceremonies, myths, language, and material culture. This documentation preserved knowledge through persecution but also raised ethical questions about ownership and representation. The Kwakwaka'wakw became anthropology's "type case" for Northwest Coast culture, sometimes oversimplifying diversity. Today, communities reclaim narrative control; Boas materials serve cultural revitalization while also requiring critical reassessment.
Contemporary Kwakwaka'wakw
Modern Kwakwaka'wakw experience cultural renaissance. Potlatches flourish openly; winter ceremonies continue. Master carvers—including the Cranmer, Hunt, and Henderson families—maintain artistic traditions; Alert Bay and other communities feature contemporary totem poles. The U'mista Cultural Centre and Nuyumbalees Cultural Centre preserve heritage. Language programs address decline; Kwak'wala has perhaps 200 fluent speakers. Treaty negotiations with BC and Canada continue. Economic challenges persist on remote reserves. How the Kwakwaka'wakw sustain cultural revival, achieve treaty settlement, and maintain communities shapes this ceremonially rich people's future on their ancestral waters.
References
- Boas, F. (1966). Kwakiutl Ethnography (edited by Helen Codere)
- Cole, D. & Chaikin, I. (1990). An Iron Hand Upon the People: The Law Against the Potlatch on the Northwest Coast
- Cranmer Webster, G. (1991). "The Contemporary Potlatch"