Kwakwakaʼwakw
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The Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw, also known as the Kwakiutl, are an indigenous group of the Pacific Northwest Coast, in southwestern Canada. Their total population, according to a 2016 census, was 3,665 people. Mos
Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw mask (19th century)
Wawaditʼla, also known as Mungo Martin House, a Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw "big house", with totem pole. Built by Chief Mungo Martin in 1953. Located at Thunderbird Park in Victoria, British Columbia.
Grave Marker, Gwaʼsa̱la Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw (Native American), late 19th century, Brooklyn Museum.
The Indian Tribes on Vancouver Island and on the Coast of British Columbia Based on his own research, Dr. Franz Boas
Orca
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The orca, or killer whale, is a toothed whale and the largest member of the oceanic dolphin family. The only extant species in the genus Orcinus, it is recognizable by its distinct pigmentation; being
Kwakwakaʼwakw
…it shed its animal appearance and became human. Animals that figure in these origin myths include the Thunderbird and his brother, Kolas, the seagull, orca, grizzly bear, or chief ghost. Some ancestors have human origins and are said to come from distant places. Historically, the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw economy…
Killerwhales jumping
Orcinus citoniensis fossil, an extinct species of the same genus, Museo Capellini in Bologna
Modern orca skeleton, Naturalis, Leiden
An orca leaps out of the water when swimming—a behaviour known as porpoising—in Hood Canal