Baleen Whale Mask Item Number: 08.491.8901 from the Brooklyn Museum
Description
Large wooden whale mask carved from 14 pieces of cedar, the main body carved from one large piece that has been hollowed out. Movable lower jaw, flippers, and flukes are controlled with cords. Head is painted with red and blue nose and blue eye sockets. Beneath each eye, is black stripe with white dots. Collar is made up of a blue fin design. The whale's blow hole is in the form of a painted and carved face. The dorsil fin, once detachable, is painted and carved with an animal face in profile. The torso is painted with white and blue stripes, and large white dots, running the length of the body which has a white underside.
Credit Line
Museum Expedition 1908, Museum Collection Fund
Label
Masks like this are owned by a particular person who has inherited the rights to make, wear, and perform with it during potlatch ceremonies, elaborate communal celebrations. The mask is worn along the dancer’s back while he imitates the swimming and diving of the whale by manipulating cords to move the flippers, tail, and jaw. Others sing, shake rattles, and drum during the presentation. Such performances reaffirm and validate the owner’s rights to their clan’s history, honor their ancestors, and bring the mask to life.
Item History
- Made between 1800 and 1899
What
- Name
- Baleen Whale Mask
- Identification Number
- 08.491.8901
- Type of Item
- baleen, whale and mask
- Material
- cedar wood, hide, cotton cord, nail and pigment
- Measurements
- “23 5/8 x 28 1/2 x 81 1/8 in. (60 x 72.4 x 206 cm)” ?
Who
- Culture
- Kwakwaka'wakw
Where
- Holding Institution
- Brooklyn Museum
When
- Creation Date
- between 1800 and 1899
Other
- Location
- Great Hall, 1st Floor
- Classification
- Masks