Whale Transformation Mask

Unknown

19th century · Wood, paint, cord, metal, leather, denim · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

The impressive whale masks of the Kwakwaka’wakw peoples are grand constructions in which the mouth, fins, and tail of a sea mammal are made to move in imitation of a whale swimming. The tail goes up and down, the lateral flippers move in and out, and the great mouth opens. The dorsal fin also moves slightly. The entire mechanism is rigged in such a way that the performer, while carrying the mask on back and shoulders, can manipulate it with his hands much like a puppet and mimic the gestures of a swimming whale. When actively performing, a costume of shredded bark hangs from the mask, hiding the body of the wearer. This example is an unusual type called a transformation mask, in which one creature opens to reveal another. In the whale’s mouth is a large, hook-nosed face, which may be that of the ancestor who interacted with a whale in the mythic past, thereby making the whale the emblem of the family lineage.

Artist

Unknown

Date

19th century

Medium

Wood, paint, cord, metal, leather, denim

Culture

Kwakwaka’wakw (Kwakiutl)

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979