Daniel Kenneth Smith’s Kwakwala name is Gwadaxa. Gwadaxa means the man who gives away wealth. He was born and raised in Campbell River by his mother Cindy and father Steve Smith. His mother was the granddaughter of Chief James Aul Sewid. He spent the last few years in Cape Mudge, a small village on Quadra Island, working at the TsaKwaLuten Lodge as a dancer for his family.
Daniel was inspired to carve by dancing and seeing his relatives work at the craft. His cousin, Simon Daniel James has given him the opportunity to learn how to carve, In December of 1999, Daniel’s grandmother told him Simon was looking for an apprentice who wanted to learn how to carve. A few days later he moved to North Vancouver to work with Simon. The first mask he carved he gave away to a friend who meant a lot to him. Dnaiel felt good about giving away his piece, and his grandmother told him that this would bring him luck.
Daniel was trained as a young boy to dance and take part in the Sewid family dances and ceremonies. In 1987 he was given the honor of a very special dance called the XwiXwi dance at the potlatch given by his great grandfather. He believes that gave him the passion to learn about the arts and customs of his people. His father is of non-native ancestry and he feels his work reflects this and with help from his cousin Simon, he knew he could learn both traditional and contemporary art styles.
“My time here on Earth is short, it is important to me to express my feelings and experiences that I have already felt. I have already learned so much and with the traditions of my people and with the traditions of apprenticeship, I hope I can learn even more. With this knowledge, I believe I can help in the reserving a flame that was almost extinguished.”