ow is the Kwakiutl Indian nation organized?

Each Kwakiutl community has its own reserve, or reservation. Reserves are
land that belongs to a Native American tribe and is legally under their control.
Each Kwakiutl tribe--known as a band or First Nation in Canada--is politically
independent and has its own leadership. The fifteen Kwakiutl bands each
have their own government, laws, police, and services, just like small
countries. However, the Kwakiutls are also Canadian citizens and must obey
Canadian law.

What language do the Kwakiutl Indians speak?

Almost all Kwakiutl people speak English today, but some Kwakiutls,
especially elders, also speak their native Kwakiutl language. Kwakiutl is a
complicated language with many sounds that don't exist in English. If you'd
like to know an easy Kwakiutl word, "gilakasla" (sounds a little like gee-lah-
kah-slah, with a hard 'g' as in 'go') is a friendly greeting. You can also read a
Kwakiutl picture dictionary here.

What was Kwakiutl culture like in the past? What is it like now?

Here's a link to the homepage of the Kwakiutl First Nation in Canada. There
you can find information about the Kwakiutl tribe in the past and today.

How do Kwakiutl Indian children live, and what did they do in the past?

They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school
and help around the house. Many Kwakiutl children like to go hunting and
fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less
time to play, just like early colonial children. But they did have dolls, toys and
games to play. Like many Native Americans, Kwakiutl mothers traditionally
carried their babies in cradleboards on their backs--a custom which many
American parents have adopted now.

What were men and women's roles in the Kwakiutl tribe?

Kwakiutl women gathered plants, herbs and clams and did most of the child
care and cooking. Men were fishermen and hunters and sometimes went to
war to protect their families. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork
and music, and traditional medicine. The Kwakiutl chief was always a man,
but the clan leaders could be either men or women.

What were Kwakiutl homes like in the past?

The Kwakiutls lived in coastal villages of rectangular cedar-plank houses with

bark roofs. Usually these houses were large (up to 100 feet long) and each
one housed several familes from the same clan (as many as 50 people.) Here
are some pictures of American Indian houses like the ones Kwakiutl Indians
used. Today, old-fashioned buildings like these are still made from cedar
wood, but they are only used for ceremonial purposes. Kwakiutl people live in
modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.

What was Kwakiutl clothing like? Did they wear feather headdresses and face
paint?

Kwakiutl men didn't usually wear clothing at all, though some men wore a
breech clout. Women wore short skirts made of cedar bark. In colder weather,
both genders wore knee-length tunics, long cloaks of shredded cedar bark,
and moccasins on their feet. For formal occasions, Kwakiutl people wore more
elaborate outfits, with tunics, leggings and cloaks painted with tribal designs.
Some important and wealthy Kwakiutls wore the spectacular Chilkat blankets,
which were woven from cedar bark and mountain goat hair. Here is a website
on Northwest Indian clothes and textiles, and some photos and links about
Indian costume in general.

The Kwakiutls didn't wear long headdresses like the Sioux. Instead, both men
and women sometimes wore basketry hats made of finely woven spruce root.
The designs and patterns of these hats often displayed a person's status and
family connections. The Kwakiutls did not usually paint their faces, but they
did paint their hair red for festive occasions, and sometimes wore tribal tattoo
art in stylized animal designs. Kwakiutl women wore their hair long and loose
or in two long braids, while men often coiled theirs into a topknot. Like other
Northwestern Indians, Kwakiutl men often wore mustaches and beards.

Today, some Kwakiutl people still have a traditional cloak or basket hat, but
they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechcloths.

What was Kwakiutl transportation like in the days before cars? Did they
paddle canoes?

Yes--the Kwakiutl Indian tribe made large dugout canoes by hollowing out
cedar logs. The Kwakiutl tribe used these canoes to travel up and down the
sea coast for trading, fishing and hunting, and warfare. Their most impressive
war canoes, which could be more than sixty feet long and withstand ocean
storms, were bought from the Haida tribe, who had access to the best cedar
trees and were considered the best canoe-makers by the other Northwest
Coast tribes. Here is a good website about Kwakiutl canoes. Today, of course,
Kwakiutl people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

What was Kwakiutl food like in the days before supermarkets?

The Kwakiutl Indians were fishing people. Kwakiutl men caught fish and sea
mammals from their canoes. They also hunted deer, birds, and small game.
Kwakiutl women gathered clams and shellfish, seaweed, berries, and roots.

What were Kwakiutl weapons and tools like in the past?

Kwakiutl fishermen used harpoons, nets, and wooden fish traps. Hunters used
bows and arrows. In war, Kwakiutl men fired their bows or fought with spears
and war clubs. Some Kwakiutl warriors wore bulky armor made of wooden
rods lashed together to protect themselves from enemy archers.

What are Kwakiutl arts and crafts like?

Kwakiutl artists are known for their fine basketry and woodcarving arts,
including wooden masks and totem carvings. Here is a website about
Kwakiutl dance masks.

What other Native Americans did the Kwakiutl tribe interact with?

The Kwakiutls traded regularly with all the other tribes of the Northwest
Coast, particularly the Tlingit and Haida tribes. They especially liked to buy
fine Tlingit weavings and Haida canoes. The Northwest Coast tribes also
fought each other frequently, raiding each other's villages to steal wealth and
capture slaves.

What kinds of stories do the Kwakiutl Indians tell?

There are lots of traditional Kwakiutl legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is
very important to the Kwakiutl Indian culture. Here is one Kwakiutl legend
about the origin of totem poles.

What about Kwakiutl religion?

Religions are too complicated and culturally sensitive to describe

appropriately in only a few simple sentences, and we strongly want to avoid
misleading anybody. You can visit this site to learn more about the Kwakiutl
religion or this site about Native American religion in general.

Can you recommend a good book for me to read?

There are not many books for kids specifically about the Kwakiutl tribe. Older
kids may want to read The Kwakiutl Indians of British Columbia, a book for
adults about Kwakiutl culture and history. You could also read a book about
another Northwest Indian tribe closely related to the Kwakiutl, such as Jason's
New Canoe (a fiction story about a Nootka boy) or Clamshell Boy (a picture
book based on a Makah legend.) Meet Lydia is an illustrated biography of a
modern Tlingit girl which makes a great introduction to Northwest Coast
Indian life in general. If you want to know more about Kwakiutl culture and
history, two possibilities are The Kwakiutl Indians and The Kwakiutl. You can
also browse through our reading list of recommended Native American books
in general.

How do I cite your website in my bibliography?

You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wants you to use.
Our names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native
Languages of the Americas. The site was first created in 1998 and last
updated in 2009.