Origin Myths

• As the Kwakiutl tribes are independent groups, many of them have unique foundation myths. According to Edward Dossetter, who observed a meeting of some Kwakiutl tribe leaders in 1881, one tribe of Kwakiutl believed that the Sun created the ancestors of all Kwakiutl. Others disagreed and said that Tlisalag'lakw, the Mink, created all the Kwakiutl. Finally, the leader of the meeting suggested that their god the Seagull created his particular tribe, while the Sun, the Grizzly Bear and the Thunderbird made the people of other Kwakiutl tribes.
  
  

Characters

• Many gods and spirits feature often in Kwakiutl myths. Kanekelak transformed people, animals and plants into their current forms. Raven is a benevolent trickster figure who causes trouble but ultimately helps and aids humans in Kwakiutl myths. In this way Raven is similar to Coyote found in many other Indian cultures or Anansi of West African cultures. Bukwus is a creature similar in appearance to Bigfoot that is associated with drowning deaths. All of these characters, especially Raven, feature in many of the myths collected by Frank Boaz as well as other researchers.
  
  

Flood Myth

• Like many people of the Pacific Northwest, the Kwakiutl people have a flood story, in which a great deluge covered almost the entire world. While different tribes have different stories, many of them center around a flood that covers everything but the highest peaks in the area. The Hailtzuk tribe of Kwakiutl recount a story in which two men, a woman and a dog are the only survivors of the flood, who floated on logs and canoes around three mountains that were above ground. Some stories feature Raven or another mythological figure saving a small group of people by supernatural means, such as enveloping them in a large shell.
  
  

Totem Poles

• The Kwakiutl people, like others in the Pacific Northwest area, built totem poles for a variety of reasons. Many Kwakiutl built totem poles to publicly cement a symbolic relationship between the Indian people and particular beliefs or spiritual patrons. The totem poles themselves were not worshipped, but they often served as public expressions of belief. Totem poles could tell stories with their images or simply highlight specific spiritual entities, such as Raven or the tribe's founding spirit.