Shaman Mask
Alder, Pigments, Cedar Bark
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SOLD
EXHIBITION:
Masks: The Art of Becoming“
I saw a mask at a Juneau museum that caught my attention from across the room. It drew me in. It was a Shaman mask about the size of a large grapefruit, collected around 1860. The face was so beautifully done that I decided my next mask was going to be a Shaman mask and have ears. Up to this point I haven’t added ears to a mask.
I saw a mask at a Juneau museum that caught my attention from across the room. It drew me in. It was a Shaman mask about the size of a large grapefruit, collected around 1860. The face was so beautifully done that I decided my next mask was going to be a Shaman mask and have ears. Up to this point I haven’t added ears to a mask.As I was carving and shaping this mask I noticed a small pinpoint dot appearing in the chin area, about an inch below the surface. It kept getting larger. It was a knot, and the awesome thing about was it was centered on my centerline. I thought, “I couldn’t have centered it better myself”. My daughter Yolanda said, “it looks like a labret”, to which I agreed, and I incorporated that into the design. So, it’s a female Shaman mask, and I enjoyed the process of creating it!
Ax toowu’ a’t wudikeen
My spirit is soaring”
-Saat-Kaa