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Dance Mask

Date:
early 20th century
Geography:
United States, Alaska
Culture:
Yup'ik
Medium:
Wood, paint, feathers
Dimensions:
H. 24 x W. 23 3/4 x D. 6 1/2 in. (61 x 60.3 x 16.5 cm)
Classification:
Wood-Costumes
Credit Line:
The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979
Accession Number:
1979.206.1120
  • Description

    The Yup'ik speaking peoples of western Alaska share a common heritage with the Inuit peoples of northern Alaska and Canada. It is a heritage that has roots in Siberia and includes ancient permanent settlements on or near the seacoast. The subarctic region inhabited by the Yup'ik is well supplied with land and sea resources allowing for much time that could be devoted to a full ceremonial life. After freezeup in the winter, performance cycles were preformed that were important to maintaining proper human and spirit world interactions.

  • Provenance

    Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, New York, from 1927; traded to Wolfgang von Paalen, by 1939; Claude Levi Strauss, New York, ca. 1945 (?); [Ralph C. Altman, Los Angeles, by 1952]; Nelson A. Rockefeller, New York, 1952, on loan to The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1963–1978

  • See also
    Who
    What
    Where
    When
    In the Museum
    Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
50005975

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