Wooden dishes came in a variety of sizes and forms. Many were undecorated and can be thought of as wholly functional, although they frequently have an elegance of form and proportion that raises them above their utilitarian role. This bowl was used for serving ordinary food and is not in any way a ceremonial piece. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

Singers who sit at the back of the house in front of a painted screen use wooden batons such as these to beat on a plank on time with their songs. The baton (in front), which has a thunderbird design, may have been carved by Willie Seaweed.

2. TWINED SPRUCE ROOT HAT Haida-style weaving; Kwakwaka'wakw-style painting A standard design on painted hats is an abstract animal with a snout on the brim, eyes on the crown, and a tail opposite the snout. Fins or wings are located on the brim between the snout and tail.

The paint is black, white, yellow, green, and red.

In times past the Kwakwaka'wakw did not use chairs, but sat on the floor or on the ground, sometimes leaning on the platform of the house, or on a plank fastened against stakes driven in the ground. A wealthy chief may have a more elaborate settee, carved and painted with his crests. This small settee, made by artist Willie Seaweed, was probably made for a favored child. The mythical creature depicted is called a Sisioohl. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

The large background area of unpainted wood is more Bella Coola than Kwakwaka'wakw in style, and the simple geometric pattern of red stripes resembles some mask painting of the former tribe. The use of gambler masks in a stylized performance of the widely known Hand Game or Bone Game as part of the Tlasula is well documented. High-ranking guests are invited to play against the masked gamblers and are paid lavishly. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)

Great ladles, with figures of mythical creatueres carved on their handles, are used to distribute food from the feast dishes. The Burke Museum collection includes a pair of large ladles decorated with carved Sisioohl heads. The Sisioohl head is conceived as an extension of the handle, bent back upon itself and joined to the neck of the spoon. The head, with its coiled nostril, scaly crest, and spiral horn, is deeply carved and painted in black, red, green, and white. (Holm, Crooked Beak of Heaven, 1972)