About Head flattening

The Kwakiutl of the Northwest Coast

1. Where is the Kwakiutl?

British Columbia (A province of Canada)

Kwakiutl (also called kwakwaka'wakw)occupy coastal areas of BC. Originally, there were 28 Aboriginal communities, all speaking dialects of Kwakwala.

2. About Kwakiutl

An 1880s photograph of the village on Hope Island, BC. 

In 1792 Spanish explorers Dionisio Alcalá-Galiano and Cayetano Valdés and Captain George Vancouver encountered most of the south Kwakiutl groups, and Vancouver wrote detailed descriptions of them. 

A federal law of 1884 prohibiting the potlatch  threatened to destroy the heart of the

culture. In 1921 a large potlatch at Village Island resulted in the arrest of 45 people, of whom 22 were imprisoned, their ceremonial goods confiscated. 

*potlatch: A ceremony. The main purpose of the potlatch is the redistribution and reciprocity of wealth.

 Coppers were one of the most valued offerings at the

potlatch 

 Chetzemoka's wives distributing potlatch

3. About “head flattening”

Flathead woman with child

Head flatting is also called artificial cranial deformation.

Head flattening is a form of permanent body alteration in which the skull of a human being is intentionally deformed.

It is done by distorting the normal growth of a child's skull by applying force.

4.What is “head flattening”

 To signify group affiliation.

To demonstrate social status.

To create a skull shape which is aesthetically more pleasing or associated with desirable attributes

5. Why?

Besides Kwakiutl’s head flattening, there are many different customs around the world…

6. Conclusion

Flathead woman with child

Besides Kwakiutl’s head flattening, there are many different customs around the world…

We may consider that as something weird and terrible, but we should value the diversity of the culture.

Thank You