Kwakwaka'wakw

The Kwakwaka’wakw people acknowledge every aspect of existence through ritual and ceremony, from birth to death.  Potlatching held in a Gukwdzi, or Bighouse, is central to their way of life and continues to regain strength and prevalence in our contemporary world as numerous aspects of Kwakwaka'wakw culture are revitalized.  The Kwakwaka’wakw speak Kwak’wala and are eighteen tribes whose territory reaches from northern Vancouver Island southeast to the middle of the island and includes the various smaller islands and inlets of Smith Sound, Queen Charlotte Strait, and Johnstone Strait.  Kwakwaka’wakw art, much like their ceremonies, is often very colorful and vibrant.  When many think of totem poles, they often envision totemic poles with wings stretched wide on either side of the pole, but in fact the Kwakwaka’wakw are the only culture of the Northwest Coast to feature totem poles with wings.