Echo Masks, Myths, Rock Art

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Echo Masks, Myths, Rock Art

• Steven J. Waller, Ph.D.

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Echo Masks, Echo Myths, andEchoing Rock Art
Sites

• of the Pacific Northwest

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Echo Mask (NUXALK by Silyas Saunders)

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Echo Masks

• Echo masks of the Pacific Northwest are a
  mobilary art form that is a manifestation of
  cultural beliefs in echo spirits.

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Echo Mask Kwakwaka'wakw, early 20th c.
Transformation Mask has 4 mouthpieces.

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Echo Mask originally owned by Bond Sound and was
taken from him after the big potlatch in 1921. It
was put into the collection of the Canadian
Museum of Civilization. It was returned to the
U'mista Cultural Centre 1979.
Mouthpieces

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Echo Transformation Mask (contemporary) by James
Bender

Human
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Echo Transformation Mask (contemporary) by James
Bender

Woodpecker
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Echo Transformation Mask (contemporary) by James
Bender

Frog
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Echo Transformation Mask (contemporary) by James
Bender

Bear
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Echo Mask Kwakwaka'wakw, by Simon Dick. Mask has
7 mouthpieces.

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Echo Mask Kwakwaka'wakw, by Simon Dick. Mask has
4 mouthpieces.

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Echo Mask (BELLA COOLA)

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Echo Myth The First Totem Pole (Kwakiutl)

• Wakiash wanted the Echo maskWakiash gave a great
  dance. He taught the people the songs. Echo came
  to the dance. He repeated all the sounds they
  made.

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Echo Myth Nuxalk

• Chief Nusmat-a or Qoqmai brought with him from
  above a house, called Kamatsonx. Within dwelt
  Echo, an incessant talker, who was very clever at
  learning languages his rolling voice
  reverberated through the house and the whole
  countryside. This being acted as herald and
  summoned people to a dance by using the word
  Nusnuslika whenever a descendent of Nusmat-a
  gives a potlatch he makes a mask with an
  ever-changing mouth to represent Echo.
  (McIlwraith)

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Echo Myth Kwakiutl

• Certain supernatural beings are present
  throughout all the tribes... include the sky
  elements Sun, Moon, and Echo.

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Echo Myths Morpholology

• Northwest coast The Saˆa or Echo is a Humanlike
  being that has the ability to imitate the sound
  or voice of any creature. She is found in a cave
  near Blunden Harbour. You will know the Echo is
  coming because she will imitate the sounds she
  hears.
• Tlingit "The world will call you
  'Woman-of-the-forest' (As-gutu'yik-ca). You will
  mock everybody that shouts or whistles. When
  they hear you they will know what it is. So she
  became the echo.
• Txä'msEm (Raven) ... puts his voice as an echo
  into a cliff / bluff (Franz Boas 1902)
• - Snake River, The Origin of the Echo Mountain
  (Castle Rock) at Palouse Falls Coyote decreed,
  This place shall be called the Repeater." When
  people shout unto the canyon, it will repeat back
  at them. He then turned his children into stone
  as landmarks to Coyote's power. The five of them
  are still there today in the rock formation near
  the falls (Scheuerman 2000).
• Puget Sound Moon transformed Echo (Ballard 1929)

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Echo Myth Tsimshian

• Inside the large house with carved front Txä'msem
  heard many people singing... So he went in, but
  he saw nobody. Still he heard the voices... This
  was the house of Chief Echo. Then Txä'msem heard
  the chief speak
• (Thompson 1929).

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Echoes at Rock Art Sites

• Like Echo Masks, archaeoacoustic evidence
  suggests much parietal rock art may also be a
  manifestation of cultural beliefs in echo
  spirits.

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Echoes at Rock Art Sites

• Echoes have been documented at hundreds of rock
  art sites globally, including the Pacific
  Northwest.

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Echoing Rock Art Sites

• - She Who Watches, WA
• Horsethief Butte lizard site, WA (J. Keyser)
• Goist cave near Klamath Falls, OR (D. Lubman)
• - Stein River, BC (Leigh Marymor)
• Oregon Jack, BC (C. Bose)
• - Similkameen, BC (B. Gould)
• Hedley cave, Paradise Ranch, Gellatly, Savona,
  Kamloops and Siska, BC (S. Nankivell)
• Nanaimo, BC

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Echoing Rock Art SiteHorsethief Lake State
Park, WA

• Celilo Falls Echo of Water on Rocks
• Tsagiglalal She Who Watches

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Echoing Rock Art SiteNanaimo, Vancouver Island,
BC
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Echoing Rock Art SiteNanaimo, Vancouver Island,
BC
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Echoing Rock Art SiteNanaimo, Vancouver Island,
BC
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Echoes

• The natural acoustic soundscapes of rock art
  environments should thus be preserved for study
  and appreciation.

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Echoes

• Animistic paradigm
• Supernatural explanation
• Echo myths
• Transformation echo masks
• Motivation for rock art
• gt location
• gt subject matter

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Echo Masks, Myths, Rock Art

• Steven J. Waller, Ph.D.