Stan Wamiss was a Dzawada’enuxw First Nation Kwakwaka’wakw master carver from a long line of artists. He was the son of Chief Tom Patch Wamiss (1895-1963), a well-known carver from Kingcome Inlet who had also worked with Willie Seaweed (c.1873-1967). [1] The influence of both men can be seen in the younger Wamiss’ work, particularly in the painting style of his ceremonial masks. Stan Wamiss frequently played with scale in his work and created monumental masks and other oversized objects for both public and private collections. Today, Wamiss’ pieces can be found in the permanent collections of both the Burke Museum (2017-95/8) and the Vancouver International Airport (YVR). His work was also featured in the seminal Vancouver Art Gallery exhibition Down from the Shimmering Sky: Masks of the Northwest Coast. [2]

This headdress features a Sisiutl (double-headed sea serpent) and Thunderbird, two prominent and powerful supernatural beings from Kwakwaka’wakw cosmology. According to Audrey Hawthorn, “the Sisiutl… was the warrior’s assistant…” and “was a frequently used design on the headdresses of the warrior dancers…” [3] The headdress is rendered in a style highly reminiscent of the elder Wamiss and Willie Seaweed, with eye-catching white underpaint and piercing, circular eyes. The central face of the Sisiutl is framed by twisted red cedar bark rope and shredded bundles of cedar bark.

1. Tom Patch Wamiss biography. Museum of Anthropology UBC. http://collection-online.moa.ubc.ca/search/person?person=3355&tab=biography

2. Macnair, Peter L., Robert Joseph, Bruce Grenville. 1998. Down from the Shimmering Sky: Masks of the Northwest Coast. Seattle; Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 117.

3. Hawthorn, Audrey. 1979. Kwakiutl Art. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 124.

— Christopher W. Smith