Sisiutl

Lore & Background

The sisiutl is typically depicted as a double-headed serpent, though it is sometimes shown with just one head. Kwakwaka'wakw depictions often include a central, humanoid face between the double heads. All three heads are usually horned, and the serpent heads typically have protruding tongues and spiral or upturned noses, with crescents along the body. Among Pacific Northwest cultures, horns or plumes indicate a supernatural being. The spiral nose motif is used on Hamatsa masks depicting Baxbaxwalanuksiwe, where it indicates hunger. The protruding tongue is associated with lightning, supernatural power, and the transfer of power from an animal source to a novice. Crescents may represent stylized scales or the segments of a caterpillar. Other depictions, by the Kwakwaka'wakw or other Pacific Northwest peoples, omit or modify some features. The Tlingit 'grubworm' or 'woodworm' (caterpillar) is a 'peculiarly northern' variation that lacks the central head, and has an insatiable appetite. Where a central humanoid head is depicted, it most often represents Baxbaxwalanuksiwe, though it has also been associated with Qomoqua. In the northern grubworm variant, the central head is believed to be the princess who suckled the grubworm. The sisiutl also sometimes takes the form of a canoe, as in a myth where it returns a woman from Qomoqua's spiritual realm to her home village, or a squirrel.

Reader's Guide

The sisiutl holds significant cultural and spiritual importance among Pacific Northwest Indigenous peoples. Shamans of various tribes believed that killing the sisiutl would transfer its healing magic to them. Warriors similarly believed that its blood would make them invincible in battle, and they would often accessorize their cultural garb with images of the sisiutl for magical protection. Similar designs were painted onto canoes or carved into wooden entrances to ward off evil spirits. For some tribes, the beach mineral mica was believed to be the scales of the sisiutl, and as such would be incorporated into these traditions. The creature's role as a mediator between natural and supernatural worlds aligns it closely with shamanic practices, and its imagery pervades art, dances, and songs, reinforcing its legacy as a powerful symbol of transformation, protection, and supernatural connection.

Did You Know?

• The spiral nose motif on sisiutl depictions indicates hunger, associated with the supernatural being Baxbaxwalanuksiwe.
• The Tlingit 'grubworm' variation of the sisiutl lacks a central head and has an insatiable appetite.
• Mica was believed by some tribes to be the scales of the sisiutl and was used in protective designs.