South America

Amazon Indian spirit mask

aaaMystrySolvd-921Q:  I just uncovered this mask of my fathers who passed almost 20 years ago.  It’s in a plexiglass frame, so I can only get the front view unfortunately.   It has many colorful feathers and I think shell around the eyes.  Any thoughts on where it might be from would be greatly appreciated.  Raaismom, 921

A:  Made by the Tapirape tribe in the southeast lowlands of the Brazilian Amazon, this large mask is called a “big face” in Portuguese. Note how beautiful the toucan and parrot feathers are. I believe these masks were made to display the spirits of enemy warriors. This valuable piece of Tapirape art deserves to be cleaned up and re-framed by an expert.  A

One Comment

  • Raaismom

    Thank you so much for the information! To follow up, it’s about 28″ x 21 ” at its largest points. Your knowledge of this amazing! Thank you again!

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