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CATALOG NO: 74692
OBJECT TYPE: wooden mask
REMARKS:
Many Alutiiq masks incorporated an open, round mouth. It may be that
this form signified whistling. Some oral history indicates that
whistling was the means by which people called on spirits during
ceremonies. Whistling by shamans and other participants is
well-documented in explorers' accounts of the winter ceremonies.
The other striking feature of this mask is its very high forehead. Such masks may have represented evil men, reincarnated as spirits with pointed heads. Alternatively, the elongated shape suggests a being (possibly a man of high status) who is wearing a tall, embroidered ritual hat.
-Dee Hunt and Aron Crowell
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