Bear Mask Item Number: 88.43.2 from the Portland Art Museum
Description
The grizzly bear is one of the important crest animals of the Kwagiutl. Masks such as this one were worn in the Tlasula ceremony, which dramatizes the original acquisition of a crest animal by the ancestors of the Kwagiutl. This mask, with its rather blocky carving style, has been attributed to Charley George, Sr., a carver from the community of Blunden Harbor.
Collection History Provenance
The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.
Item History
- Made by Sr. attributed to Charley George in Northwest Coast, Canada ? or Northwest Coast, USA ? during 1915
What
- Name
- Bear Mask
- Identification Number
- 88.43.2
- Type of Item
- mask
- Material
- red cedar wood, paint and beaver fur
- Overall
- height 12.0 in, width 9.0 in, depth 20.25 in
Who
- Culture
- Kwakwaka'wakw
- Creator
- Sr. attributed to Charley George
Where
- Holding Institution
- Portland Art Museum
- Made in
- Northwest Coast, Canada ? or Northwest Coast, USA ?
When
- Creation Date
- during 1915
Other
- Categories
- Northwest Coast; Ceremonial and Ritual Objects