Sea monster house
Encyclopedia
The Sea Monster House that was on display at Pacific Science Center
was a combination of two separate houses owned by the Scow family. The houses were originally created and constructed on Gilford Island
, near Vancouver Island
in the early 1900s. The shell of the house and front design are replicas of the original Sea Monster House, the original was built around 1900. The posts and beams in the exhibit are the actual posts and beams of the Raven House, also owned by the Scow family, which was built around 1916. The house is a traditional Kwakwaka'wakw
home consisting of four large cedar posts and four large cedar crossbeams surrounded by a shell cedar planks. The front of the house is painted in traditional Kwakiutl-style formlines. "Sea Monster" refers to a myth wherein a large sea creature emerges from Blackfish Sound and contributes to early Kwakiutl society.
The four house posts and cross beams of this house were on display at Pacific Science Center from the late 1960s to the early 1990s when the owner, John Hauberg, requested that they be moved to the Seattle Art Museum for permanent display. The shell of the house, including the recreation of the original Sea Monster design is now on display at the Burke Museum on the campus of the University of Washington
in Seattle. The replica of the Whale pole is on display at the Convention Center in downtown Seattle.
Pacific Science Center
The Pacific Science Center is a science museum in Seattle, Washington.-Organization:Pacific Science Center is an independent, non-profit science museum based in Seattle, Washington...
was a combination of two separate houses owned by the Scow family. The houses were originally created and constructed on Gilford Island
Gilford Island
Gilford Island is an island in British Columbia, Canada, located between Tribune Channel and Knight Inlet. The island has an area of and a historic indigenous community of the Kwakwaka'wakw people called Gwayasdums or Gwa'yasdams.-References:**...
, near Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
in the early 1900s. The shell of the house and front design are replicas of the original Sea Monster House, the original was built around 1900. The posts and beams in the exhibit are the actual posts and beams of the Raven House, also owned by the Scow family, which was built around 1916. The house is a traditional Kwakwaka'wakw
Kwakwaka'wakw
The Kwakwaka'wakw are an Indigenous group of First Nations peoples, numbering about 5,500, who live in British Columbia on northern Vancouver Island and the adjoining mainland and islands.Kwakwaka'wakw translates as "Those who speak Kwak'wala", describing the collective nations within the area that...
home consisting of four large cedar posts and four large cedar crossbeams surrounded by a shell cedar planks. The front of the house is painted in traditional Kwakiutl-style formlines. "Sea Monster" refers to a myth wherein a large sea creature emerges from Blackfish Sound and contributes to early Kwakiutl society.
The four house posts and cross beams of this house were on display at Pacific Science Center from the late 1960s to the early 1990s when the owner, John Hauberg, requested that they be moved to the Seattle Art Museum for permanent display. The shell of the house, including the recreation of the original Sea Monster design is now on display at the Burke Museum on the campus of the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle. The replica of the Whale pole is on display at the Convention Center in downtown Seattle.