Q:  Would you happen to know where this originated and if it is valuable enough to be appraised?  My deceased cousin traveled the world for years, and this is one of her treasures.    Beverly, 1829 A:   It is Iroquois in style,  made in the USA,  and maybe  worth enough to be  appraised.  All  kinds of  people  love  to  see  Native  American  masks  on  the  walls  of  their  cabins  and  rec rooms.  The  value  can  go  up  according  to  signature,  date  and  condition.

Q:  A friend of mine said she acquired this mask in the 80’s in Alaska, but didn’t know much else about it.  Rick, 1805 A:  I answered him:  For at least 100 years Eskimo women have been making these skin and fur masks…  occasionally for ceremony, but mostly they are sold to tourists for about 10 to 20 dollars. I thought about it later. These masks, which are widely available and reasonably priced, are the primary source of income for many elderly Eskimo women. Why not buy one for your house or some as Christmas gifts. The Artic people are under-privileged and can use your support. I hope this nice…

Q:  Hi there. My grandma has recently passed on. When I was growing up she had these creepy ass masks hanging in her one hallway. Well, I’m not sure if I would never forget them, but she  left me all the masks in her will. No origin or any other info, she just said Erienne gets her favorite wall hangings (the masks). I was wondering if you could tell me anything about them, ie. orgin, worth, etc.  1799 A:  For thousands of years Native American carvers have been making colorful masks for traditional dances and other ceremonies. Nowadays they are also made for collectors. It a shame you find them…

Q: We went to a cool museum, the Maryhill Museum of Art (in Portland, OR), to kick off Ida’s birthday. Came across this guy and thought of you. Hans, 1778 A: And I thought of my viewers. This is an especially well made shaman’s mask from the Eskimos in or close to Alaska. Some of these comlplex wooden masks are still used, but most are sold to tourist. They are often signed by the carver and are a nice source of income for the otherwise poor Eskimos of the Pacific North West. A

Q: I purchased it as-is. It was relatively cheap because of the extensive cracking damage from drying out. We added the string in the back for hanging on the wall, so that is not original to the piece. The hair plugs are quite coarse and long so I’m guessing horse tail, but I couldn’t say for sure. Sarah, 1762 A: This nicely designed and made mask was probably carved by a Native American in 2020 for use or sales. But something happened to it, so Sarah was able to get it cheap. Let’s try to find out who the carver is. He is obviously a skilled artist. The eyes are…

Q: Here are two nice examples of older King Island work. Jim, 1733 A: These two Inuit masks are so good I had to show them to you now. Hopefully, Jim will soon comment on their physical characteristics… and the usual who, what, when, where and how much. A, Bob

Q: What I stumbled on while going down a Tumblr rabbit hole was that it is a Tsimshian mask representing the spirit of Upper Air. Supposedly from BC, Canada (19th C.). Hans, 1684 A: Christie’s auctioned this mask last year for over half a million dollars. Obviously it is a very desirable artifact. I did see a similar Tlingit singing shaman’s mask somewhere. The Tsimshian and Tlingit cultures are situated next to each other in Southeast Alaska. There is plenty about their folk art in libraries and the Internet. Enjoy. A+

Q: Hi again, hope you don’t mind to share your comment on this small 15 cm high mask that I bought at an auction last month in Amsterdam. Price was 250 euro. It was sold as a Iroquois false face mask from the fifties. I’m very pleased with this mask. Great carving and expression I think. Marc, 1640 A: I think this is an especially well made example. It’s a shame you don’t have more information. With Iroquois and most other Native American mask the question of authenticity can be very complicated. “The False Face Society is probably the best known of the medicinal societies among the Iroquois, especially for…

Q: This came out of a private collection in Illinois. It’s very lite weight measuring 8.5” X 4.5” not including the feathers. Polychrome cedar ceremonial shaman’s mask from the Inuit. I’m a collector. Would you know the age of this and what type of mask is it? It appears to have been used several times in a ceremony of sort. PJ, 1590 A: I do not recognize this at all. Since I am not an expert on any of the Arctic cultures, let’s hope that one of our viewers will make a helpful comment. PJ, since you and the seller both specialize in these kinds of artifacts, perhaps you could…

Q: Hello, Here are photos of our friend’s Inuit family mask. It was created in the early 1900’s, we are not sure exactly when. Our friend was Eskimo from Greenland and she left us all her family artifacts when she past away 10 years ago. The mask is wood from the center of a tree, you can see the circles. Diane, 1582 A: This is a major find for any first-rate art or anthropological museum. And it comes with family provenance. But please be careful. There are plenty of collectors and dealers who will try to cheat you out of a fair price if you don’t have a good idea…