CEREMONIAL SPIRIT MASKS
Cottonwood Bark Alaskan Masks, Handcarved by David L. Hendren
David Hendren has careered replicas of many of the Spirit Mask of the19th century.
The original masks displayed in museums and private collections around the world
are captured through the carvings of David Hendren.
David Hendren has careered replicas of many of the Spirit Mask of the19th century.
The original masks displayed in museums and private collections around the world
are captured through the carvings of David Hendren.
Flying Swan"Korreyorreoak" quayugyaq
"pretented or imitation swan" Large flying swan, the shaman's dance mask, used at the last feast of the winter. The Shaman"s Helping Spirit brought the swans, geese, ducks, and other birds back to the coast to nourished the people. The enlarged labret attached to the chin, wooden rods dangling from its base... appear on many Kuskokwim masks. Collector: J.A. Jacobsen Museum fur Volkerkunde Featured in the Eskimo Exhibit AGAYULIYARARPUT Our Way of Making Prayer |
"NarojaugoakPretended Sea Gull, Nanuyaruaq
Shaman Mask showing the main spirit of the shaman... black rings around the eyes... a sign of higher descent to the Indian. The face is enclosed by a warus mouth with teeth from below and above. Shaman power is shown in the outstretched hands... one dark, one light, reaching across the world to draw animals to the area. The sea gull, a messenger of the shaman, finds out for him where the walrus are located. On the forehead sits a hunter. After the shaman conjures the walrus to the coast... the hunter can go on a walrus hunt. Like all such masks, this was put on by the shaman during the last feast of winter and usually ended the festivities. AGAYULIYARARPUT Our Way of Making Prayer |
Crane Mask with ShamanLower Kuskokwim River Collector, Adams Hollis Twitchell, collected numerous Yupik masks which were purchased by Geo. G. Heye, Founder of Museum of the American Indian. Most masks were paired as was the Crane Mask, representing a crane that carried a sick Shaman, angalkuq, to his home. The second Crane Mask was purchased from Heye by Julius Carlebach in 1944. In the early 1900 the original fifty-five masks t raded by Twitchell with Heye, all but twenty-five, were purchased by Julius Carlebach in the mid-1940s. They were sold around the world, some to Surreallist Artists: Matte, Tanguy, Breton, Lebel. AGAYULIYARARPUT Our Way of Makiing Prayer Donated 2017 HealthyAlaskaNativeFoundation |
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Rising SealWaiting for a seal at the breathing hole,
the hunter remains quiet, listening for the sound of air bubbles rising to the surface... signaling the seal's approach. Seal, a graceful swimmer, is skilled at fishing. It is the spirit of the seal that teaches us to swim and to conquer our fears especially regarding the sea. Seal gives meat for nourishment; oil for cooking, eating and warmth. Seal skin provides waterproof clothing and when inflated, floats for whaling and safety. Seal shares its skills and is a symbol of wealth. The wooden hairseal maskoid has a shaft with five disks representing air bubbles being exhaled as the seal rises. Collector: Edward W. Nelson, Lower Yukon 1800s |
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Woman In the MoonIt was believed to be
a realistic portrait of an Unalit woman, that portrays the Moon Lady. ...Features female gender such as down curved mouth, female labret and diagonal chin tattoos. The ring around the mask symbolized the supernatural universe. It is unusual because the moon is depicted as a woman. It was identified as an Anvik Indian Mask. Googles on a female are rarely used on Eskimo items. The red spotted cheeks and the hair style are features of Indian art. Sun and Moon Deities were common among Native Cultures. Spirit Keeper, Helping Spirit, Protector of Land Animal... Hunters were constantly under the eye of the supernatural. The Shaman pleaded the Powerful Spirit Living in the Moon for game and other favors INUA Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo |
Toothy-Mouthed BirdThis Nushagak mask,
Toothy Mouthed Bird, worn by the angalkuq, and photographed by Thwaites, made its way to the Museum for the American Indians, Brox annex early 1900s. Surrealist, Wolfgang Paalen, purchased the mask in 1939. It still remains in private hands since the Sotheby's Auction, 1995. Thwaites visited Nushagak, 1906-1908 AGAYULIYARARPUT Our Way of Making Prayer |
Pacific EskimoPrince William Sound masks
were illustrated in drawings by Dall 1880s, then illustrated and annotated by Kaj Birket Smith. Similar masks were collected and/or commissioned by Alphonses Pinart, 1870s who traveled Prince William Sound, Kodiak, Alaska Peninsula and north to Nunivak Island. The round mouth... "whistling"? Explorer's accounts recorded whistling as a means of calling on spirits during ceremonies. Crossroads of Continents Eskimo Masks: Art and Ceremony Aleut and Eskimo Art |