Mask

Object Details

Donor Name

Edward W. Nelson

FROM CARDS: "THIS MASK IS USED IN FESTIVALS. IT IS MADE BY THE SHAMANS, WHO SAY THAT IT REPRESENTS SOME VERY BAD PEOPLE WHO ARE SEEN BY HIM ONLY. PASTOLIK, NAME NUKH, TO, LI. Illust. in BAE 18th AR, Pt. 1; Pl. C-2, 3, 4; p. 408/ and 2, p.396 1/83 Sites Inua Loan. Loan: U.S.I.A. Inua Jun 24, 1988. Illus.: Inua catalogue, USIA 1988, Pl. 101, p. 69. Loan returned Dec 28, 1990." "E33105-Pastolik, Yukon River (mouth), Alaska

This object is on loan to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center, from 2010 through 2027.

Illustrated in Fitzhugh, William W., Julie Hollowell, and Aron L. Crowell. 2009. Gifts from the Ancient Ancestors: Ancient Ivories of Bering Strait. Yale University Press, New Haven and London, CT. Fig. 20, p 179. Identified there as a shaman's mask, wood, paint, feather, quill, and rawhide; h. 32 cm. "This mask made by a shaman from Pastolik on the lower Yukon River is in the image of a lunar deity shining in the starry night sky. Its toothy, blood-stained, twisted mouth conveys the power over animals and humans of such deities, to whom shamans flew to entreat on behalf of humans."

Source of the information below: Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center Alaska Native Collections: Sharing Knowledge website, by Aron Crowell, entry on this artifact https://alaska.si.edu/record.asp?id=64 , retrieved 10-23-2021; see web page for additional information: Mask, Yup'ik. Yup'ik shamans directed the making of masks and composed the dances and music for winter ceremonies. This mask represented a tuunraq, or shaman's helping spirit. It has a semi-human face, wooden peg teeth, a blood-splattered mouth, and red-painted attachments, including two human legs. This mask may specifically be an ircenrraq, described in traditional stories as a powerful being that could appear as a wolf, a fox, or a killer whale. These beings had long pointed heads, distorted mouths, and half human-half animal faces, all seen in this mask. The white spots may be snowflakes, stars, or eyes. Yup'ik shamans directed the making of every mask, and composed the dance and music that would accompany its appearance during Kelek or other winter ceremony. Each represented a shamanic vision or experience. Some of the stories behind traditional masks have survived until the present in Yup'ik oral tradition, or were recorded in the past by collectors. The Smithsonian's Edward Nelson reported that this mask from the Yukon River represents a tuunraq, or shaman's helping spirit. He noted its semi-human face, wooden peg teeth, blood-splattered mouth, and red-painted attachments (two representing human legs) that are fastened on with porcupine quills. Other masks in museum collections show tuunrat with blood-splattered mouths, including one who chased and ate people in the mountains. In another story, a wolf tuunraq was said to attack the source of disease inside a shaman's patients, emerging with its mouth dripping in blood. It is also possible that this mask represents an ircenrraq, described in traditional stories as powerful, human-like beings who could appear as wolves, foxes, or killer whales. Ircenrrat (plural) are described as having long, pointed heads, distorted mouths, and half human/half animal faces, all seen on this mask. The mask's white spots may represent snowflakes, stars, or eyes, depending on the story that was being told.

Record Last Modified

20 Jan 2022

Specimen Count

1

Culture

Eskimo, Yup'ik

Accession Date

1 Nov 1878

Accession Number

78A00080

USNM Number

E33105-0

Object Type

Mask

Height - Object

49 cm

Place

Pastolik, Yukon River, Mouth, Alaska, United States, North America

See more items in

Anthropology

NMNH - Anthropology Dept.

Topic

Ethnology

Record ID

nmnhanthropology_8396082

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/309493993-a697-43df-9d4d-2809996a2b48