Willie Seaweed

Willie Seaweed (1873–1967) was a Kwakwaka'wakw chief and wood carver from Canada. He was considered a master Northwest Coast Indian artist who is remembered for his technical artistic style and protection of traditional native ceremonies during the Canadian potlatch ceremony ban. Today, Seaweed's work can be found in cultural centers and corporations, art museums, natural history museums, and private collections. Some pieces are still in use by the Nak’waxda’xw tribe.

Willie Seaweed was born around 1873 in the village of Tigwaxsti. He grew up in Blunden Harbour, British Columbia, known natively as Ba’a’s, where he lived until his death in 1967. Both Seaweed’s parents came from chiefly lines, and his father was head chief of the Gixsam sect of the Nak’waxda’xw tribe in the Kwakwaka’wakw region. Seaweed’s father died before he was born, leading Seaweed to inherit the title of Hilamas, head chief, at a young age. This ensured leadership was safeguarded within the family.

Seaweed was born into a native reservation at a time of significant exposure to white settlers following the fur trade, gold rush, and colonization along the Canadian coast. Because of this, contact between white settlers and Canadian tribes was common. Seaweed's village Blunden Harbour, however, was located in the mountainous terrain of Vancouver Island, isolating it from direct European interaction and allowing indigenous cultural practices to continue undisturbed.

Although contemporary practice was for First Nations youth to attend a residential school, Seaweed was not sent to boarding school. Instead he was raised to speak the traditional Kwak’wala language, which he maintained during his lifetime. Part of Kwakwaka'wakw education included an apprenticeship to learn traditional carving practices. Under the guidance of elders, usually a father or uncle, the Kwakwaka'wakw student would learn traditional Northwest Coast artistic methods through observation and practice. Due to the death of Seaweed's father prior to the artist's birth, little is known about his individual training as a carver. Scholars agree Seaweed likely apprenticed with his older half-brother and fellow artist, Johnny Davis.

As chief of the Nak’waxda’xw nation, Seaweed was called Hilamas, meaning “Right Maker”. Willie Seaweed was his official Canadian name, as First Nations peoples were required to have a legal name recognized by the government. He was known informally as Kwaghitola or Smoky Top.

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