Galukw'amł (Mask of the Crooked Beak)

Item number 89.52.1 from the Portland Art Museum.

Public

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Description

Worn during the winter ceremonial dances that accompany a potlatch feast, this mask represents the prestigious inherited privilege of a high-ranking individual. The layers of commercial paint reveal that this mask was repainted at a later date, perhaps to refurbish it when passed to a new owner, a hamat’sa society initiate dancer. Masks such as this one are still carved and worn in dances by Kwakwaka’wakw artists and inheritors of this privilege.

Ironically, at the time of its creation, First Nations’ ceremonial practices, including the dancing and display of this headdress, were illegal under Canadian law.

The artists working during those arduous years of forced assimilation and oppression are celebrated for carrying on traditions that continue in practice today.

Collection History Provenance

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

Item History

Made by Kwakwaka'wakw artist in Northwest Coast, Canada ? or Northwest Coast, USA ? during 1950

What

Name: Galukw'amł (Mask of the Crooked Beak)
Identification Number: 89.52.1
Type of Item: mask
Material: red cedar wood, paint, red cedar bark, metal nail, leather and cord
Overall: height 42.0 in