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| Joyce Willie |
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| Joyce Willie |
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| Joyce Willie |
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| Joyce Willie |
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| Joyce Willie |
Kwakiutl, self-name Kwakwaka’wakw, North American Natives who traditionally lived in what is now British Columbia, Canada, along the shores of the waterways between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Their name for themselves means “those who speak Kwakwala.” Although the name Kwakiutl is often applied to all the peoples of that group, it is the name of only one band of Kwakwaka’wakw. They speak a Wakashan language that includesthree major dialects: Haisla, spoken on the Gardner Canal and Douglas Channel; Heiltsuq, spoken from Gardner Canal to Rivers Inlet; and Southern Kwakiutl, spoken from Rivers Inlet to Cape Mudge on the mainland and on the Northern end of Vancouver Island. The Kwakiutl are culturally and linguistically related to the Nuu-chah-nulth. In 2014 the 15 nations and bands that compose the Kwakwaka’wakw numbered about 7,700.
Rod Smith (Galuyagmi)
Tribe: Kwakwaka'wakw
Village: Qualicum Beach
Rod Smith (Galuyagmi 'Great First Birth') apprenticed with his father (Lalkawilas). He works in yellow and red cedar as well as basswood, arbutus, and maple. Rod Smith is best known for his precise and elegant painting style.
His works include sculptures, masks, poles, original paintings, bowls and bentwood boxes. In 2002, Rod Smith completed an eight-foot pole in collaboration with his father and brother, Steve Smith. In 2005 Rod Smith was featured in the "Changing Hands: Art Without Reservations 2" exhibition that opened at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York. Rod Smith was born in Vancouver, Canada and currently resides in Qualicum Beach, B.C.
