The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection.

Museum Purchase: Robert Hale Ellis Jr. Fund for the Blanche Eloise Day Ellis and Robert Hale Ellis Memorial Collection.

Gift of Richard W. Sundeleaf in memory of his mother, Gracia Myrtle Sundeleaf, and his granddaughter, Kirsten Mary Wright.

Mask made of carved wood, animal skin and cloth. The face is painted a shiny black, and displays an open mouth, protruding nose, and eye holes bored through the wood. Large ears are carved at sides. Strands of hair are glued to the upper lip for a mustache, and pieces of hide are used for eyebrows. Paper is attached inside the mouth with ink lines drawn for teeth. Paper is also set inside the eyes with small tears that allow the wearer to see. The paper has writing in blue ink on the interior. A blue headband sits across the forehead. Large flaps of skin are attached around the face and used as a head cover for the wearer.

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.

Small, rectangular tapa cloth adhered to a board of the same size. Patterning is black geometric designs on the raw background. In the centre of the piece are four-sided shapes with a black border. On the outside of this are three stacked triangles. From the centre point outwards the designs are mirrored on the long sides and later on the outside. The next design out from centre-point is a black triangle under another triangle. Topping this are two black motifs followed by three wavy lines. The next design has heavy black wavy lines and is in a triangular shape. Next there is a large section that includes diamond shapes, triangles, wavy lines and the use of blank space. Bordering the object is a narrow design with wavy thin and thick lines, including arrows and dots.

Small rectangular tapa cloth adhered to a board of the same size. Patterning is geometric designs in black ink on raw, uncoloured background. Centre panel is made up of diamond shapes filled with a variety of patterns. Surrounding this are triangle shapes coloured rust-orange, along with densely patterned triangles. The tapa is bordered by a repeating motif of black and rust designs on natural ground.

Signed lower left in graphite