Form: A painted wooden mask that can open and close when strings are pulled, transforming it from animal to human and back again.
Function: Religious and aesthetic. The masks were beautiful and detailed symbols used in important rituals and dances.
Content: The American Museum of Natural History and Brooklyn Museum masks are carved of red cedar wood, an important and common material used for many Northwest Coast objects and buildings. Masks take months, sometimes years, to create.
Context: Masks passed between family members of a specific clan (they could be inherited or gifted). They were just one sign of a person's status and rank, which were important to demonstrate within Kwakwaka'wakw society—especially during a potlatch.
Traditions: Because the masks decay so quickly it's difficult to say when they first appeared, but they certainly feature in very old myths and rituals for the region.
Identification:
Transformation Mask
open
closed
Kwakwaka'wakw
Northwest coast of Canada
Late 19th Century (1800s)
Wood, paint and string
