Museum Purchase: Helen Thurston Ayer Fund.

Gift of Mrs. Richard Nunn and Lucy Trevett.

Gift of Miss Henrietta E. Failing.

Gift of Miss Henrietta E. Failing.

Gift of Miss Henrietta E. Failing.

Gift of Miss Mary Forbush Failing.

Collection of the Portland Art Museum.

Mask made of carved wood, animal skin and cloth. The face is painted dark red, and displays an open mouth, small nose, eye holes bored through the wood, and small rounded ears to the sides. Small tufts of hair sit under the nose for a mustache. Feathers are attached to the top of the head, mimicking hair, with hide on the sides. A thick thatch of matted grass is attached to a dark brown flap of cotton that covers the wearer’s head at back.

Mask made of carved wood, animal skin and cloth. The mask is painted black, and displays an open mouth with white paper behind the lips, blue pen used to draw teeth. Above a small protruding nose are bored eye holes also with inserted white paper, torn to indicate a pupil. Large ears are carved at sides. A series of wrinkles are carved into the forehead and along the cheeks. Pieces of hide with long strands of light brown hair are glued to the upper lip and chin for a mustache and beard, as well as around they eyes and to the top of the head for hair. Burlap covered in goat hair and matted grass covers the back of the wearer’s head.

Small, rectangular tapa cloth adhered to a board of the same size. Patterns are geometric designs in black on the raw background. In the centre of the piece are three large images: the middle is a repeating geometric design surrounded by raw space with S-shapes, dots, wavy and straight lines, and thick black triangles. Next is a border consisting of triangular patterns, thick black lines and dots in the middle of the triangles. The next design includes 4-sided shapes and triangles made out of dots. Next there is a design with a raw space centre surrounded by wavy lines. The next image is repeated on both sides of the piece. It includes a circular image consisting of a flower in the centre, 4-sided shapes, wavy lines, on the four corners there are ¼ circles with triangles made our of raw-space squares. There is a border around the three large images that includes triangles made out of thick black lines. Next there is another border consisting of mirrored triangles, dots and short lines. The outside border includes a repeating deign of straight lines, wavy lines and triangular shapes.