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MaskLate 19th century; Yupik Eskimo, lower Kuskukwim river region, Alaska; Wood, feathers, paint; height 63.5 cm (25 in.); Founders Society Purchase, Stroh Brewery Foundation Fund; 77.69 |
A Yupik Eskimo shaman (traditional healer and holy man) commissioned this mask ringed with miniature seal flippers and kayak paddles to represent his power to travel to the spirit world beneath the sea. The shaman sponsored masquerades during festivals in which the community thanked the spirits of the animal world for allowing themselves to be killed for food. Wood was scarce in the central Alaskan tundra lands inhabited by the Yupik. Artists fashioned masks from odd pieces of driftwood that floated downriver from the forested interior of Alaska.  JPEG, 31K | |