There are many Indian tribes in Canada, but I have chose this particular tribe to research. The Kwakiutl, Indians of the northwest Pacific coast of North America, live in British Columbia, Canada, along the shores of the waterways between the North Vancouver Island and the mainland. They speak one of three major dialects: Haisla, Heiltsuq, Southern Kwakiutl. The Kwakiutl Indians are culturally related to the Nootka Indians. They together with the Nootka, their southern neighbors, make up the Wakashan branch of the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock. The term they prefer to describe themselves is Kwakwaka’wakw, with their indigenous language, being termed Kwak’wala. The Kwakiutl are famous for their potlatch, carvings, and other arts such as the totem poles.
The Kwakiutl Indian tribes had matrilineal bonds. The females line of the family are handed down the properties. Many variety of different kinds of relationships were accepted except between close kin such as a relative. Both the bride and the groom have equal exchanges on the occasion of the marriage. One thing families did was, when they had a baby they had a baby-naming ceremony. The families all lived together in a communal dwelling, instead of a single-family housing. The men hunted, built homes and canoes, they fished, and built ceremonial props. Women cooked, had children, and made clothing.
Chieftaincy is the political structure in Kwakiutl. A chieftaincy included more than one kinship group and often more than one local settlement or clan. The principal role of the chief was to resolve conflicts among groups; there developed beneath the chief an entire hierarchy of decision-making. The chief had many other roles to do. For instants, the chief was leader of trades, wars, governing the clan and decision-making. The chief was also a military leader in a war, and lead the potlatch ceremony.
They had ranks for the clans. This was determined by inheriting family names and privileges from elders. Some privileges included the right to sing certain songs and wear certain masks during ceremonies. Another main indicators of social status was an individuals personal property, items such as tools or jewelry. They were displayed openly and almost vainly to verify the members’ status.
The Kwakiutl Indian tribes considered spring as the secular time of the year and were called “Bakoos.” The time was one of intense outdoor activity involving gathering, hunting, and preserving food. As well, it was a time of travel and visiting between groups. People were often spread out from one another. Summer was also considered as the secular time of the year for intense outdoor activities such as gathering, hunting and preserving food. Also various dances, ceremonies and potlatches were held all year round. The Kwakiutl invited other groups to join them for various events that happen occasionally. The coming of winter saw the people return to their villages and shelter. The winter ceremonial season was the season of the supernatural. It was a time of intense ceremonial activity. In a sense, time as well as activity stopped. Activities of daily life like food gathering, hunting, fishing and visiting were suspended. The Kwakiutl even carried this reversal into the entire order of human existence, believing that winter wasn’t a time at all, but rather a re-enactment of the timeless. During the time of the winter ceremonials, the people live communally, in large, wooden houses and they perform their dances in the Winter Ceremonial Lodge.
The Kwakiutl Indian tribes didn’t live in tipis made out of animal skin like the basin hides. They lived in big wooden long house. Summer villages were built near prime fishing spots. This was both along the coast and up river. It was composed of small wooden cabins for temporary use. They were rectangular with long, sloping, or flat roof. Winter villages were built in sheltered locations that offered protection from high winter tides and fierce storms from the Pacific Ocean. These villages consisted of large houses, sometimes elevated on stilts to escape tides. But all homes had doorways facing the beach and ocean. In steep areas, platforms were built to support the homes. The houses are decorated both in and out after constructed.
The Kwakiutl Indian tribe made canoes to meet their transportation needs. They lived near the water lines so they used the sea or the ocean to move. The canoes were built from the tall cedar trees. The tree was hallowed and made into the right shape then sharpened. Then they grease the canoes in whale oil for preservation and to ensure it a long life. The canoe varies in size and shape. One person can ride it or it can hold up to 50 people on war expeditions. The owner of the canoe usually steers the canoe and the women can paddle; they are expert paddlers. The canoes made by the Kwakiutls were valuable trade items. Canoes were used to pay gambling debts.
There are different canoes for different purposes. For example, there are specific and special canoes used for special events such as wedding ceremonies, spiritual worship and war expeditions. The paintings or carvings on the outside of the canoe can tell what that specific canoe is for. Such as if there is a bird like an eagle on the head of the canoe, it is most likely a war or an wedding canoe because in the Kwakiutl legends, the eagle looks over the land high up in the air, guarding and patrolling. The eagle helps the warriors see the battlefield or the enemies, and the eagle watches over the newly married couple.
The Kwakiutl Indian tribe’s food supplies were plentiful. The forest food includes deer, moose, rabbit, beaver, edible roots, nuts and berries. Most hunting was done in the winter when the animals migrate down from the mountains. It was too hard for the Indians to go up the mountains and get their prey, so they waited until the animals came closer to them. The plant type food were collected for the winter in need if the tribe run out of food or just to eat them. The Kwakiutl not only depended on the forest for food, but they also depended on the fish in the area. Some include; octopus, shellfish and seaweed.
The Kwakiutl Indians depended a lot of their food supplies on fish. The Kwakiutls loved Salmon, it became their staple food. Salmon were believed by the Kwakiutls to be immortal men beneath the sea. Kwakiutl would eat the meat of the salmon and throw back the bones so they would go back to the sea to be reborn. They caught salmon in their canoes with small or big nets. They often set up traps for the salmons in the water. Occasionally, the Kwakiutl Indian tribes could even catch a whale using only wooden harpoons. They would site a whale and gather men to hunt it down. In several canoes, they would set off the hunt the whale. The Kwakiutl men will throw their wooden harpoons at the whale to injure the whale enough so they can cast a big net to drag it back to shore. It is hard work catching a whale for it is massive in size, strength and durability. Once the whale is caught and brought back to the village, they would hold a potlatch.
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