'Na'nalalał
Weather
During this dance, the female performer covers and uncovers her face to represent the break of dawn and twirls around to represent the wind. There are two versions of this dance, the other is performed by males and is called the ‘Na’nakwalał. This set of Weather Headdresses here represent mosquitoes.
Owner
Yekutłikalas, Sam Charlie, Mamalilikala (Village Island)
Catalogue Information
Materials
Wood, Cedar; Metal; Paint; Fabric, Cotton
Accession Number
95.03.001
Physical Description
‘Nala headdress, composed of a wooden frontlet attached to a head band. This rectangular piece is carved into a flat face with eyebrows, eyes and lips. A separate piece of wood features a long proboscis or beak. The tip of the upper beak recurves upwards. The frontlet is painted overall in black, with red and green details. The “unibrow” is white in the middle. Natural wood shows around the rim of the frontlet. A stained fabric nailed to the top and sides was used to cover the head of the dancer. The strips of cloth hanging from the headdress were probably used for mounting.