Mask

Unknown

ca. 1870 · Wood and pigment · The American Wing

The peoples of the Arctic region use music and performance to invoke the spirit realm. According to native Alaskan beliefs, spirits communicate with people through whistling: these masks may be the faces of such supernatural beings, as they appear to whistle at their beholders. The formal resemblance between the pair, including the prominent noses, minimal eyes, and pointed head decorations, may mark them as specific, linked characters in a myth. Early twentieth-century modernist artists and collectors were drawn to the bold simplicity of such works.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1870

Medium

Wood and pigment

Culture

Alutiiq/ Sugpiaq, Native American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection of Native American Art, Gift of Valerie-Charles Diker Fund, 2017