Tlinglit shamans were the healers of their culture, treating the spiritual causes of disease and divining the future for the appearance of upcoming events. Part of their occupational equipment was a set of masks, representing the shaman’s various helping spirits, which he called on for assistance in matters of the spirit world. Mask sets usually numbered eight, all with different identities and most often not all carved by the same maker. Old, damaged masks would be replaced, some retired, and new ones might be added by successive generations of shamans. Some sets do however include a majority of carvings by the same artist, as is the case with one historical set now in the American Museum of Natural History, which features several examples by the same carver as the subject mask.

With no extensive back history on this mask, one could still conclude that this one was most likely made by the same carver as the six AMNH masks, and that the artist worked in the area of Yakutat/Dry Bay on the Gulf of Alaska coast, or possibly at a nearby village such as Hoonah near Icy Strait. The sculpture of this mask suggests that it represents some type of bird image, though just which species is unknown. One mask of the AMNH six has a similar downturned-beak-type nose, and it is identified as the spirit of a puffin. The spirit images came to the shaman in visions and dreams, so just about any known (or unknown) bird, human, or other creature could become the subject of a shaman’s mask.

This mask features very large and prominent eyes, though that appears to have more to do with the carver’s style than the particular spirit being represented. Referring to the related examples one sees that this artist used a very similar eye form on each of his masks. In fact, the particular shape and proportions of any carver’s eyelid lines are a primary diagnostic feature, and these are unusual enough of themselves to make the connection between these masks apparent. In addition, other similar characteristics include the eyebrow forms, relatively flat lips, and the handling of the bridge of the nose/forehead area. This carver surely made many more masks than these, as the range of sculptural forms indicates an experienced artist.

The small holes in the eyes may once have held small tufts of human hair, as can be found on certain other shaman’s masks and are a regular feature of this carver’s work. Holes this small would be of little to no advantage in seeing out of the mask, and in fact most shaman’s masks have no eye holes, as they were only briefly worn in limited ritual situations.

Provenance: Andy Warhol Collection