ABSTRACT
James Sewid, a high-ranking Kwakwaka'wakw born in British Columbia in 1910, describes the fish, when "feated," in strikingly different terms. While halibut and salmon reside within both the Kwakwaka'wakw and the Canadian culinary repertoires, the Kwakwaka'wakw prepare those fish in ways unimaginable by whites. Kwakwaka'wakw potlatches could be hosted for a variety of reasons, including marriages, memorials, or assumptions of new names, and always include feasting, distribution of goods, and demonstrations of privileges such as songs, dances, and masquerades, that embody the host family's status. In keeping with Boas's instructions to obtain "traditional" information, Hunt's recipes are meant to represent culinary customs from precontact times. By comparing these with actual food-related practices at historic potlatches, changes in Kwakwaka'wakw food culture become evident. T'lina plays a major role in great potlatches, as it appears in many dishes.
