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Shaman's mask

ca. 1800–40
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This malevolent mask manifests a powerful spirit being that helped a shaman mediate between the worlds of matter and spirit. The sucker disks on its cheeks and its peaked, beak-like mouth identify it as an octopus. Like shamans, the octopus undergoes transformations: it squeezes its large body into extremely narrow crevices and eludes danger by releasing ink and changing the color and texture of its skin.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Shaman's mask
  • Artist: Unrecorded Tlingit artist
  • Date: ca. 1800–40
  • Geography: United States, Alaska
  • Culture: Tlingit
  • Medium: Alder wood, copper, bear skin, red turban snail opercula, leather, paint
  • Dimensions: H. 9 1/2 × W. 7 × D. 3 1/2 in. (24.1 × 17.8 × 8.9 cm)
  • Classification: Wood-Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Thaw Collection of American Indian Art, Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing