Frontlet Item Number: A3731 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Pentagonal wooden frontlet featuring a carved eagle in high relief; painted sisiutl design around the edges. Painted blue, black, red, yellow, and green. Bird and sisyuth representation.
Among the Kwakwa̠ka̠’wakw, a frontlet or forehead mask like this is known as a pak̠iwe’. Its name changes to ya̠x̠wiwe’ (“dancing on the forehead”) when it is part of the full headdress — including a cylindrical crown with sea-lion whiskers at the top and an ermine-skin trailer — that is featured in the T’ła’sa̠la or Peace Dances (also known as the Dluwa̠lax̠a or Returned-from-Heaven Dances).
Represents bird and sisyulh.