Q: Have you seen this? Thought you might enjoy it. Death Mask of Pakal the Great The striking jade death mask of an ancient Mayan king is displayed in a replica tomb in Mexico City. http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/death-mask-of-pakal-the-great?utm_source=share_by_email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mailto_share Derek, 1538 A: When I was studying at Mexico City University in 1956 I took some time off and went to the recently discovered ruins of Palenque in the jungles of Yucatan. It was difficult to reach, and because it was a Mexican holiday, there were no workmen there. My traveling companion and I climbed to the top of the pyramid, cranked up the generator, plugged in a string of lights and did some…
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Japanese Namahage mask
These are widely used in many parts of Japan on New Years Day, making them one of the most popular masks you can buy. They are quickly carved and reasonably priced so everyone can afford them. But you won’t often see them in books, museums or important collections because they’re for the common people. That may change. This terrifying demon-like deity has just made the United Nations’ Intangible Cultural Heritage list. During the holiday, wearing ogre masks and wielding huge knives, Namahage go from house to house shouting “are there are any crying or badly behaving children?” Invariably, the answer is yes and often the tears start before they even…
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Fabric Salampasu mask from DRC
The 60,000 Salampasu people live east of the Kasai River, on the frontier between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. Their name is said to mean “hunters of locusts”, but they were widely viewed with terror by adjacent groups. They maintain strong commercial and cultural relations with their southern neighbors, the Chokwe and the Lunda, to whom they pay tribute. The Salampasu are homogeneous people governed by territorial chiefs, who supervise village chiefs. Their hierarchical power structure is counterbalanced by a warriors’ society. A people with a reputation as fearless warriors, the Salampasu have retained the custom of a rough and primitive life. Warring and hunting are privileged…
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The infamous Barbones mask from Mexico
Q: Can anyone give me any meaning of this mask? How could it have been used? Jan, 1535 A: They started making these stunning masks out of silver in the mining town of La Parota, Guerrero, way back in the Victorian period. Well over 100 years ago wealthy gringos were vacationing in Mexico and they loved these hammered-metal masks as decorative souvenirs. Later they switched from silver to the cheaper copper you see here, and they are still popular to this day. The first edition of Donald Cordry’s Mexican Masks came out in 1980 and became a big seller that created a great interest in this subject. Cordry loved masks…
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New Kathmandu tourist mask
Q: I received this Himalayan region mask just ten days ago on an ebay auction for $50. It is about 12 inches high and has numerous small holes for hair, some of which is left. I hope that it interest you. Steve, 1534 A: I’ve seen a few of these lately. They are probably from Nepal or NW China. I like the way they look, but I can’t tell you anything more about them. C
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Lele mask from DRC
Q: I purchased this in DRC in 2010. Ben, 1533 A: Normally I need to get more information from people who want me to identify their Mystery Mask. No problem here. I know exactly what this one is. I found that AfricaDirect.com has an almost identical piece for sale. Here’s what they have to say. I haven’t changed their spelling. Like Ben’s mask, their Lele is a carefully made reproduction you can buy for a low price. An equally handsome authentic version of the same mask could not be afforded by 99% of us. The Leele live in the confluence of the Sankuru and Kasai Rivers in territory which adjoins…
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Japanese Noh theater monkey mask
This famous monkey mask, often called Saru from the Noh theater, was made during the Showa period between 1926-1989. Even though it looks brand new, it’s probably 50 years old. The following maybe more than you want to know… A collective name for Noh and kyōgen used until the start of the Meiji era. Sarugaku derives from sangaku, which came to Japan from the Tang Dynasty during the Nara era and was combined with ancient Japanese comedies. Sarugaku flourished during the Heian and Kamakura eras, and was at the time strongly comedic and broad based, including skits, acrobatics and magic. In the middle of the Kamakura era Sarugaku split into…
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Rare Bindji mask from DRC
Q: This mask does have some history. Me and my father worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While there we purchased a few masks, some of which are tourist pieces, but every now and then we got a good one. This one was given to us as a farewell present when we left. But I have no info about where it is from and if or not it is old. Judging by the wood it dose have some age to it. It also seams to have been repaired at some point. The repair is one of my favorite features of it. Here are some pictures. Please let me know…
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Kota reliquaries are often in mask collections
That is because they’re so beautiful. This abstract sculpture would have stunned the great European artists of the 19th century. The Kota live in villages comprising two or more clans. Clans in turn comprise several lineages or family groups that trace their descent from a common lineage ancestor. This is an important point related to their art, for like the Fang, the Kota revere the relics of ancestors. Ancestor worship formed the core of the family group’s religious and social life. At the death of a chief, the initiates would take from the body of the deceased various relics, which were then decorated with metal and rubbed with powders of…
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Fake shaman’s mask from Nepal
Q: Is this mask from Nepal or possibly PNW? Jim, 1529 A: Lately I’ve done some blogs on the authenticity of ethnographic masks. It has been an issue with African tribal art for well over 100 years. By now the problem has spread to all parts of the world that welcome tourists looking for souvenirs. Nepal is no exception. What you see here looks like a shaman’s mask from the Middle Hills region of the Himalayans that even has a red wax seal of the Nepalese customs service on the back. Then please go to our records and look at “Masks of the Himalayas” dated March 16, 2018, and “Himalayan…
