Namgis. <em>Thunderbird Transformation Mask</em>, 19th century. Cedar, pigment, leather, nails, metal plate, Open: 31 x 45 x 47 in. (78.7 x 114.3 x 119.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1908, Museum Collection Fund, 08.491.8902. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 08.491.8902_front_PS6.jpg)

Namgis. Thunderbird Transformation Mask, 19th century. Cedar, pigment, leather, nails, metal plate, Open: 31 x 45 x 47 in. (78.7 x 114.3 x 119.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1908, Museum Collection Fund, 08.491.8902. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 08.491.8902_front_PS6.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Is the Thunderbird supposed to be scary, powerful? What emotion is it trying to evoke?

The Thunderbird has connotations of power and awe. Something like this would have been performed to reaffirm the family's ancestral ties with the Thunderbird, so it is meant to impress guests in that way.

Why did he take off his mask to be human?

According to tradition, the Thunderbird flew out of the heavens to assist a man who had been transformed into a large halibut. In order to do so, the Thunderbird removed his headdress and winged cape and became human so he was temporarily human to help someone. He later changed back.

Do people still use these masks today?

Yes, the family of Kwakwaka'wakw Chief William T. Cranmer of the ‘Namgis clan (Alert Bay, Canada) hold the rights to wear this type of mask. Initiated members of the clan may be given the rights to perform it during a Winter Dance or potlatch ceremony. Despite a ban on potlatches in Canada from 1885 to 1951, the practice was kept alive in secret. With the ban lifted, they are once again celebrated in the open and new masks continue to be made.

Is this the mask the Seahawks logo is inspired by?

The Seattle Seahawks’ logo is indeed inspired by a Kwakwaka’wakw transformation mask, but not this particular one. The designer of the original logo was inspired by a mask depicting an eagle that is in the collection of the Burke Museum in Seattle.

Is that riveted plate original to the thunderbird mask?

Yes, there are a few metal plates included in this mask that are all part of the original structure.

How would this mask be performed?

A performer would wear the mask over their head and manipulate the various hinged pieces with strings, like a puppet. The rest of the performer’s body would also be covered by a costume made from materials like long strips of cedar bark, or a cape or feathers.

How does the mask open and close?

The moveable parts of this mask are attached to cords that the wearer would pull to open and close the mask.

Can you tell me a little bit about the Kwakwaka’wakw?

The Kwakwaka’wakw inhabit the northern part of Vancouver Island in Canada as well as adjacent islands and parts of the mainland. They created more masks than any other First Nation of the north Pacific coast.

Their songs, stories, dance, and ceremonial objects honor the animals, rivers, cedar trees, salmon, and all things that help to sustain the Kwakwaka’wakw physically and spiritually.

This mask depicts a thunderbird, believed to be an Ancestral Sky Being of the Namgis clan of the Kwakwaka’wakw. The mask is worn during potlatches and a performer wears it over their head, using cords to open and close the beak to reveal the human form within.

Was this meant to be an ornament or a real mask?

This is indeed a functional mask and would have been performed at potlatch ceremonies by a high ranking member of the Namgis Clan.

What do all the figures on the inside of the mask represent?

On each side, we see a sisutl or lightning snake. These mythical creatures are often associated with the Thunderbird.

In the center, there is a human face. It may represent the Thunderbird in its human guise, or a central head of the sisutl.

Above that face is a human figure that may represent an ancestor.

Thunderbird Transformation Mask

Arts of the Americas

On View: American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Witness

About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.

This mask represents Thunderbird, the mythical ancestor of the ʼNa̱mǥis clan of the Kwakwa̲ka̲’wakw people, and holds a central role in a powerful tradition. Dancers wear such masks during ceremonial potlatches, which are important gatherings for the Kwakwa̲ka̲’wakw and other Indigenous communities in the Pacific Northwest. Potlatches commemorate milestones, including marriages, naming of clan members, transference of rights and privileges, and mourning the deceased.

Said to create lightning with his eyes and thunder with his beating wings, Thunderbird features prominently in both art and oral traditions, which maintain that he lives in the celestial realm and can assume human form. During potlatches, a dancer would emerge wearing this mask in its closed state, showing Thunderbird’s head with its penetrating eyes and elongated beak. Later, the mask transforms when the dancer pulls internal strings to reveal figures within the beak. There, a human face is flanked by sisiutl (a double-headed lightning snake), with a small human figure above and another bird below.

Chiefs or hosts of potlatches demonstrate their power and generosity by giving attendees numerous gifts during the ceremonies. Although such gatherings were outlawed by colonial governments for decades, the Kwakwa̲ka̲’wakw and other Native communities in the Pacific Northwest have maintained the tradition to this day.

ARTIST Namgis

CULTURE Kwakwaka'wakw

MEDIUM Cedar, pigment, leather, nails, metal plate

Place Collected: Alert Bay, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

DATES 19th century

DIMENSIONS Open: 31 x 45 x 47 in. (78.7 x 114.3 x 119.4 cm) Closed: 20 1/2 x 17 x 29 1/2 in. (52.1 x 43.2 x 74.9 cm) 7/2012 new measurements when opened, 47" out from wall, 45" wide, 31 " height (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

ACCESSION NUMBER 08.491.8902

CREDIT LINE Museum Expedition 1908, Museum Collection Fund

PROVENANCE Prior to 1905, provenance not yet documented; 1905, acquired in Alert Bay, Canada from an unidentified member of the Gigilgam lineage of the ʼNa̱mǥis Nation by Charles Frederick Newcombe of Victoria, Canada; July 15, 1908, purchased in Victoria from Charles Frederick Newcombe by Stewart Culin for the Brooklyn Museum.

Provenance FAQ

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Transformation masks such as this Thunderbird belong to the sky world, which consists of Ancestral Beings that are transported to the heavens from where they can return as material beings in recognizable form such as human. The Kwakwaka’ wakw people say when this bird ruffles its feathers they cause thunder and when they blink their eyes lightning flashes. Each thunderbird is associated with a specific village group or lineage, a specific place of origin unique to each and its details are carefully guarded. Masks can be owned individually or by a family but rights are always inherent, flowing from one generation to the next. The Namgis people relate that this thunderbird flew out of the heavens to assist a man who had transformed into a large halibut. When finished assisting he removed his headdress and winged cape and sent them back to the sky world becoming human. The mask may be worn on the forehead with the dancer’s face showing or it may cover the face to indicate the duality of man and bird. The performer wears a full costume of representing the bird. The mask would be danced during a Winter Ceremony, called a Potlatch, where songs, dances and rituals are performed and gifts may be given. When not used such masks are wrapped carefully and hidden away. When worn and danced and closed the mask portrays a bird head with a large yellow beak. When open, the head and large beak divide, expand, and become a full-bodied bird with outstretched wings. Each wing contains a linear image of a sisiutl or lightning snake. At the center of the full-bodied bird is a human head. Above the head is a small seated figure and below it is still another bird. Opening and closing the mask would add a spectacular effect during the dances. When the mask was first collected it had cord riggings to open its parts. It was collected from the Gigilgam lineage of the Nimpkish. The mask is fragile but stable. There are scattered pigment losses. Red cedar ruff originally surrounded the mask when it was worn for performances.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in American Art Galleries, 5th Floor, Witness

CAPTION Namgis. Thunderbird Transformation Mask, 19th century. Cedar, pigment, leather, nails, metal plate, Open: 31 x 45 x 47 in. (78.7 x 114.3 x 119.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Museum Expedition 1908, Museum Collection Fund, 08.491.8902. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 08.491.8902_front_PS6.jpg)

IMAGE front, 08.491.8902_front_PS6.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2012

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.