Frontlet Headdress

Item number A5295 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

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Description

Headdress with a frontlet carved with a bear design, top and bottom figures. Inlaid with abalone shell pieces. Eyes of top figure are two pieces of mirror. Top of headdress is checker work cedar bark weaving. Cloth covered with white down. Feather at inside back dyed bright red. Red painted paws holding a face. Sea lion whiskers at top of headdress. Buttons at side and back of headdress. A cape (part b) is attached to these buttons. It is made of off-white ermine pelts with a cloth backing. Buttons used to attach next level of cloth with skins. Coloured wool(?), red, green and yellow, attached to some skins.

History Of Use

Chief's headdress. 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).

Cultural Context

ceremonial

Item History

Made in British Columbia, Canada
Owned by Walter C. Koerner before 1972
Received from Walter C. Koerner (Donor) during 1972

What

Name: Frontlet Headdress
Identification Number: A5295 a-b
Type of Item: headdress
Material: cedar bark, glass, silver alloy metal ?, abalone shell, plastic, fibre, feather, eagle down feather, sea lion whisker, wood and ermine skin
Manufacturing Technique: carved, inlaid, sewn, woven and painted
Part A: height 48.5 cm, width 24.0 cm, depth 24.0 cm
Part B: height 8.5 cm, width 67.0 cm, depth 129.5 cm