Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Chief Willie Seawead
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
- Willie Sewid
- Willie Seewid
- Willie Seaweed
- Willie Siwid
- Kwaxitola
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1873-1967
History
Chief Willie Seaweed, known as Kwaxitola ("Smoky-Top"), was born in 1873 at a time when Kwakwakw'akw culture flourished. He died in 1967 having seen nearly a century of technological change, such as dugout canoes replaced by diesel-powered fishing boats and airplanes. A 'Nakwaxda'xw chief, he was born just eleven years before the passage of the anti-potlatch law. He did, however, create very elaborate art for potlatches. "The name 'Seaweed' is an anglicization of the Kwakwala 'Siwid', which can be translated as 'Paddling owner', 'Recipient of paddling', or 'Paddled to'; all metaphors for a great chief who sponsors potlatches to which guests come from far off" (Holm 1983). Seaweed was a singer, storyteller, wood carver, and artist who kept the traditional potlatches alive through the years in which it was illegal. Willie Seaweed was a traditional artist who passed on his skills to a younger generation and his work is scattered throughout collections in Canada and the United States.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
Father of Joe Seaweed