The Kwakwaka'wakw or Kwak’wala speaking people have been living in Big Houses for hundreds of years. When Captain Vancouver visited the main ‘Namgis settlement, Xwalkw on July 19^th and 20^th 1792, he commented on the 34 houses that he saw.

"The houses were set up in regular streets with whole families living under one roof. The higher ranking people in the community lived in larger houses decorated with paintings."

 The houses Captain Vancouver saw were flat roofed, unlike later Big Houses, which have gabled roofs.

All villages within Kwakwaka’wakw territories contained Big Houses; but some were more intricately painted than others. The Kwakwaka’wakw Big Houses, known as Gukwdzi in Kwak’wala, are constructed in the shape of a rectangle.

Want to find out more about how the Gukwdzi was built?