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Lot Essay
Chez les Nuu-cha-nulth, l’univers s’organisait entre deux royaumes opposés : l’océan, familier et nourricier, et la forêt, espace de rencontre avec le surnaturel1. C’est au coeur de cette zone de l’Entre-deux que s’inscrivait le rituel du Loup, cérémonie initiatique influencée par le cérémonial d’hiver des Kwakwaka’wakw et associée au potlatch. Lors de ce rite, des danseurs masqués, incarnant des loups spirituels, enlevaient les jeunes hommes pour les emmener dans la forêt. Leur retour, marqué par une transe mystique, nécessitait une guérison opérée par des figures de haut rang, symbolisant un transfert de pouvoir surnaturel.
Parmi les objets associés, les masques de Serpents-Éclairs à plumes (heyatl’ik) se distinguent. Utilisés par paires, contrairement aux masques de loups employés individuellement, ils apparaissaient lors des danses sacrées concluant le rituel.Typiques des Nuu-cha-nulth, ces masques présentent une ornementation soignée de plumes représentées et de couleurs vives. Assemblés à partir de fines planches et de cadres en tiges, ils demeurent rares : quelques exemplaires anciens se trouvent au Brooklyn Museum et au Fenimore Art Museum (respectivement, inv. n° 08.491.8905a et T0159a-b).
Among the Nuu-cha-nulth, the universe was structured between two opposing realms: the ocean, familiar and nourishing, and the forest, a space of encounter with the supernatural. It was within the heart of this liminal zone that the Wolf Ritual was situated, an initiatory ceremony influenced by the Kwakwaka’wakw’s winter ceremonial practices and associated with the potlatch. During this rite, masked dancers, embodying spiritual wolves, abducted young men to take them into the forest. Their return, marked by a mystical trance, necessitated healing performed by high-ranking figures, symbolizing a transfer of supernatural power.
Among the objects associated with this ritual, the Feathered Thunder-Serpent masks (heyatl’ik) stand out. Used in pairs, incontrast to the individually worn wolf masks, these masks made their appearance during the sacred dances that concluded the ritual. Typical of the Nuu-cha-nulth, these masks are characterized by intricate adornments of depicted feathers and vivid colors. Constructed from fine planks and frames made of reed stems, they remain rare: a few ancient examples can be found in the Brooklyn Museum and the Fenimore Art Museum (respectively, inv. no. 08.491.8905a and no. T0159a-b).
1 Drucker, P., The Northern and Central Nootkan Tribes, Washington, D.C., 1951.
Parmi les objets associés, les masques de Serpents-Éclairs à plumes (heyatl’ik) se distinguent. Utilisés par paires, contrairement aux masques de loups employés individuellement, ils apparaissaient lors des danses sacrées concluant le rituel.Typiques des Nuu-cha-nulth, ces masques présentent une ornementation soignée de plumes représentées et de couleurs vives. Assemblés à partir de fines planches et de cadres en tiges, ils demeurent rares : quelques exemplaires anciens se trouvent au Brooklyn Museum et au Fenimore Art Museum (respectivement, inv. n° 08.491.8905a et T0159a-b).
Among the Nuu-cha-nulth, the universe was structured between two opposing realms: the ocean, familiar and nourishing, and the forest, a space of encounter with the supernatural. It was within the heart of this liminal zone that the Wolf Ritual was situated, an initiatory ceremony influenced by the Kwakwaka’wakw’s winter ceremonial practices and associated with the potlatch. During this rite, masked dancers, embodying spiritual wolves, abducted young men to take them into the forest. Their return, marked by a mystical trance, necessitated healing performed by high-ranking figures, symbolizing a transfer of supernatural power.
Among the objects associated with this ritual, the Feathered Thunder-Serpent masks (heyatl’ik) stand out. Used in pairs, incontrast to the individually worn wolf masks, these masks made their appearance during the sacred dances that concluded the ritual. Typical of the Nuu-cha-nulth, these masks are characterized by intricate adornments of depicted feathers and vivid colors. Constructed from fine planks and frames made of reed stems, they remain rare: a few ancient examples can be found in the Brooklyn Museum and the Fenimore Art Museum (respectively, inv. no. 08.491.8905a and no. T0159a-b).
1 Drucker, P., The Northern and Central Nootkan Tribes, Washington, D.C., 1951.