Kwakwakaʼwakw music facts for kids
Kwakwaka'wakw music is a very old and special art form. The Kwakwaka'wakw people have practiced it for thousands of years. They are a group of 25 different nations. They speak a language called Wakashan. These people are part of the Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. They live in what is now British Columbia, Canada.
The Kwakwaka'wakw use instruments, dance, and songs for important ceremonies. They also use them for rituals and telling stories. Some Kwakwaka'wakw traditions include stories of ghosts. These ghosts can bring back the dead with their songs. Love songs are also a big part of Kwakwaka'wakw music.
Their music uses many percussion instruments. These include log and stick drums, and box or hide drums. Rattles, whistles, and clappers also create a beat. The singing sets the rhythm. Instrument makers create new instruments for each dance.
The Kwak'wala word for "summer song" is baquyala. The word for "winter song" is ts’ē⁾k·ala. Each year, the start of winter is celebrated. This is a four-day festival of song and dance. It is called tsetseqa, or Winter Ceremonial. Tsetseqa starts with singing songs for those who died. This happens since the last winter season. The whole tsetseqa season is for ceremonies. This includes welcoming young people into special dancing groups.
Another very important festival is the potlatch. The word "potlatch" means "to give." It is a Kwakwaka'wakw tradition of sharing wealth. It also shares prestige. This helps to show a person's social status. It makes sure people remember the stories being celebrated. Potlatches often happen during tsetseqa. They are used to announce a new member joining a secret dancing group.
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Kwakwaka'wakw Dancing Societies
There are four main Kwakwaka'wakw dancing groups. They have existed since ancient times. These groups are: Hamatsa, Winalagilis, Atlakim, and Dluwalakha or Klasila. Each dancing group has its own special house. Only members are allowed to enter. The ceremonies aim to recreate meeting an ancient spirit.
Each group chooses a song master. This person creates and remembers songs for all members. A song master is not chosen by family. They are chosen for their talent in creating and remembering songs. The song master is even paid for their work. They create and remember one to four songs for each new member. Children of song masters are sometimes placed inside a drum. The father sings and beats the drum. He does this in sets of four. This is to try and pass on his talent.
Hamatsa ("Cannibal Dance")
Hamatsa is the most important secret society. It replaced an older dance called hamshamtses. Hamatsas receive their food and gifts first at a potlatch. Only the sons of chiefs can become a hamatsa. The Man Eater Spirit, Baxbakualanuxsiwae, makes a whistling sound. This sound makes the spirit possess the new member.
The new member disappears into the woods. They return crying and pretending to bite people in the audience. The musicians change the music speed. This matches the possessed spirit. Eventually, other dancers calm the spirit. The ceremony ends when the new member sings their new hamatsa song. The new member performs a trick on the last day. This happens after a potlatch is held for them.
In 1835, the Kwakwaka'wakw of Fort Rupert raided a Heiltsuk canoe. Fort Rupert was the largest Kwakwaka'wakw village then. They stole Hamatsa whistles. After this, the Kwakwaka'wakw adopted hamatsa dance traditions.
Today, historians say that hamatsa members were not real cannibals. They used fake or real flesh as props. They did not actually eat it.
Winalagilis ("Making War All Over the Earth")
Winalagilis dances tell stories of strong and powerful warriors. Ghost dancers bring back the spirits of dead warriors. After this, they sing a song together. Song leaders for ghost dancers only memorize two songs.
Atlakim ("Taken Far Away Into the Woods")
The song for the Atlakim dance introduces the dancers. Singers repeat the song for each new dancer they introduce.
Dluwalakha
The Kwakwaka'wakw Peoples only hold Dluwalakha ceremonies in the spring. They hold a potlatch on the last day of the ceremony. This is to thank the mask makers and others involved. Dancers sometimes use a Dluwalakha dance. They do this to show they plan to become a hamatsa one day.
Cedar whistles introduce the supernatural reason for the Dluwalakha dance. Masks are used with the song and dance. Together, they tell the story of the new member. They are taken over by a supernatural power of the family dloogwi.
Kwakwaka'wakw Musical Instruments
Kwakwaka'wakw music uses different instruments. The choice depends on the dance being performed. Voices are the only melodic sound in their music.
The rattle is the most important instrument in Kwakwaka'wakw rituals. Bill Holm wrote that the sound of the rattle is "direct contact with the supernatural."
The box drum is another key instrument. It is usually made from cedar wood. Cedar has a special spiritual meaning for the Kwakwaka'wakw. Many people beat the drum together. They sing the song they are drumming to.
Whistle
The Kwakwaka'wakw use many different whistles. Each one has its own unique sound. Sometimes, they combine several whistle chambers. This lets the player make up to three sounds at once. Whistles announce the presence of supernatural spirits. Whistles also represent the voices of spirits in the stories.
Drum ("mEnā'tsē")
A singer's baton, or rhythm stick, is the main percussion instrument. The baton is usually one foot long. It is made of different woods. This depends on if it's for temporary or long-term use. Simple firewood is used for temporary batons. Every guest gets one. This lets them drum along and be part of the beat.
Song leaders use fancy carved sticks. They use these sticks more than once. These are made from hardwood or cedar. The carvings often show a sea lion. Sea lions have a similar shape to the batons. The meaning of this design is not fully clear. The box drum is also a type of percussion. The Kwakwaka'wakw have used it for thousands of years.
Rattle ("ia'tEn")
Wooden rattles are used in Kwakwaka'wakw music. They are for ceremonies. They help connect with the supernatural world. The rattle is an old symbol. It is meant to keep the dancer calm. It also helps prevent spiritual possession. Rattles are also said to bring back the dead.
Clapper
Kwakwaka'wakw clappers are a mix of a rattle and a singing baton. They are usually made of leather and wood. The clapper is a one-handed instrument. It makes sharp, sudden sounds. This happens when the two pieces of wood clap together.
