Tlakwa (Copper)
Item number 87.88.65 from the Portland Art Museum.
Item number 87.88.65 from the Portland Art Museum.
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Symbolizing great concentrations of wealth and prestige, coppers, or tlakwa, are publicly displayed on ceremonial occasions. Among the Kwakwaka’wakw, these copper plaques are cut or broken and the pieces are distributed to rivals as a means of intimidation through a show of wealth. Visual evidence indicates that this copper had been broken into multiple sections, then pieced back together with rivets along the ridge. The painted killer whale crest design reflects a more recent addition, perhaps applied over an earlier rendering. Coppers are esteemed items, and their ceremonial transfer remains part of dowry negotiations for the Kwakawa’wakw.
The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.
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The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.
Symbolizing great concentrations of wealth and prestige, coppers, or tlakwa, are publicly displayed on ceremonial occasions. Among the Kwakwaka’wakw, these copper plaques are cut or broken and the pieces are distributed to rivals as a means of intimidation through a show of wealth. Visual evidence indicates that this copper had been broken into multiple sections, then pieced back together with rivets along the ridge. The painted killer whale crest design reflects a more recent addition, perhaps applied over an earlier rendering. Coppers are esteemed items, and their ceremonial transfer remains part of dowry negotiations for the Kwakawa’wakw.
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