Kwakiutl Facts: Everything You Need To Know About Them!

Residing in the Northwestern Pacific of North America, the Kwakiutl were a group of people who engaged in fishing and various arts and crafts.

Nowadays, the term 'Kwakwakaʼwakw' refers to members of the Kwakiutl tribe. They spoke the Kwak'wala language.

Researchers and scientists have postulated the origin of the Kwakiutl population. Furthermore, their cultural and religious practices have also been studied to understand their historical intricacies. While only 3.1% of the current population identifies as Kwakiutl, there have been considerable efforts into resurrecting the Kwakiutl lifestyle.

History And Origin

The rich history of the Kwakiutl people is quite interesting to learn about, as it further highlights the culture of the Kwakiutl Indians. The origin story of this group of people is quite intricate and has been well studied by modern-day historians and researchers.

Furthermore, the Kwakiutl men and women also have their own versions related to their origin story.

Historically, the Kwakiutl tribe inhabited British Columbia, northern parts of Vancouver Island, and the Discovery Islands nearby. The Kwakiutl groups have been living in these areas for 8,000-9,000 years and have made significant contributions to the anthropological development of such lands.

According to the traditional beliefs of the Kwakiutl people, they were originally animals who traveled to a given spot in the land they would eventually inhabit and then turn into humans. Some of the animals that became a part of their origin myth were the grizzly bear and seagull.

On the other hand, according to researchers, the early ancestors of the Kwakiutl tribe used the Bering Land Bridge to reach the New World. This is where they made their settlements and enjoyed massive resources.

Another notable historical event that occurred with the native population of Kwakiutl people was the contact with Europeans. The first such documented contact took place as early as 1792 with Captain George Vancouver. With more regular interactions, diseases from the Europeans seriously threatened the Kwakiutl population.

However, the Kwakiutl society also flourished to some extent due to trade relations with Europeans. One of the common items of trade was fur, in exchange for which the Kwakiutl tribe members would receive copper and iron.

Life In The Tribe

The Kwakiutl life was unique due to the intricate culture and traditions that the population developed. Essentially, the Kwakiutl Indians were fishing people whose lives majorly revolved around that. They also had fascinating social structures and dynamics.

Before coming in contact with the early Europeans, the Kwakiutl people had trading networks of their own, where they would trade fishes and some other aquatic creatures. Some of the commonly seen items in such trades were shellfish, herring, seals, and salmon.

Interestingly, since these fishing people were dependent on seasonally migrating animals, they too did not have permanent settlements. The houses of Kwakiutl folks were built with cedarwood and were narrow and elongated in appearance. Each such house gave shelter to 50 Kwakiutl members of the same clan.

The Kwakiutl women and men had different roles in society. The women were mainly responsible for gathering berries, roots, herbs, plants, and clams.

They were the primary caregivers of the Kwakiutl children and also engaged in cooking. On the other hand, the men took care of providing for their families, mainly through fishing. However, both Kwakiutl women and men took part in creating art and various traditional medicines.

The children of Kwakiutl societies spent time playing or accompanying their fathers on fishing and hunting trips. Overall, every Kwakiutl family was composed of groups (three or more), and each group was the owner of some property in their respective villages.

Altogether, the families would make up units and would be in charge of the functioning of the traditional villages they were in. The family units would have a family chief, and all family chiefs would ultimately be under the head chief. The head Kwakiutl chief was always a man.

Language And Religion

To better understand any group of people, learning about their language and religion is essential. Hence, we have collected some interesting facts about the Kwakiutl language and religion for you!

The Kwakiutl language is known as Kwak'wala. Interestingly, the actual name used to refer to the Kwakiutl men and women is 'Kwakwakaʼwakw,' which is a nod to their native language, as it means, 'Kwak'wala speaking people.'

Kwak'wala is a part of the Wakashan language group and consists of four distinct dialects: Nakwala, Kwakwala, Tlatlasikwala, and Gucala.

One of the main features of Kwak'wala is that it heavily relies on different tones. So, for the written forms of Kwak'wala, there would be markings on certain letters to indicate the tone used.

Unfortunately, there has been a significant decline in the number of Kwak'wala speakers in present times, with a majority of the Kwakiutl people now using English as their first language. However, efforts are being put to revive this critical part of the Kwakiutl culture.

Coming to the religion followed by Kwakiutl Native Americans, most of these people believed in spirituality and how every inanimate object had some supernatural power. They would offer their daily prayers to the Sun, in addition to the wind, tools, weapons, and even plants that were used to cure diseases.

With the introduction of Christian missionaries in the late 19th century, many Kwakiutl people also converted to Christianity and gave up on a lot of their rituals and customs. For instance, certain burial rites stopped with the conversion to Christianity.

Culture

The intricacies of the Kwakiutl culture are worth learning about, as they help us understand the Kwakiutl population even better.

The Kwakiutl arts were quite aesthetic, consisting of totems, dugout canoes, jewelry, and elaborate masks, among many other things. The Kwakiutl artists would mainly use wood for their spectacular creations.

Apart from such objects, even woven textile was a huge part of the arts. Kwakiutl music also had a life of its own and was mainly heard during important ceremonies and rituals. The music would be created using logs, hide drums, whistling, and rattles.

One of the main aspects of the Kwakiutl culture was Potlatch, a practice that has been considerably researched and understood. In Potlatches, families would host huge gift-giving ceremonies. In extreme cases, the person who arranged the Potlatch would give away all his wealth and destroy his own house to prove his honor.

The marriages taking place in the Kwakiutl society were primarily carried out in order to get hold of properties and other privileges. Hence, weddings were a serious affair. There were also divorces that took place to end marriages. In divorces, the families had to return properties that were equivalent to the gifts exchanged when the marriage took place.

FAQs

What are some interesting facts about the Kwakiutl tribe?

Members of the Kwakiutl tribe were excellent at fishing. They were also capable of building elaborate canoes.

What were Kwakiutl known for?

Kwakiutl was mainly known for the elegant totems and canoes they made with wood.

What do the Kwakiutl tribe eat?

Members of this tribe mainly relied on animals like rabbits, beavers, deer, and fish for their nutritional needs.

What language did the Kwakiutl speak?

Kwakiutl people spoke Kwak'wala.

Where did the Kwakiutl originally live?

Members of the Kwakiutl inhabited the Pacific Northwest, residing in British Columbia, parts of Vancouver Island, and Discovery Islands.

What did the Kwakiutl do for fun?

The children of Kwakiutl families often joined their fathers on fishing trips for fun.

How did the Kwakiutl get their name?

The name 'Kwakiutl' was given in the past to indicate all those who spoke the Kwak'wala language.