Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Shaman's mask
Unrecorded Tlingit artist Native American
Not on view
This malevolent mask manifests a powerful spirit being that helped a shaman mediate between the worlds of matter and spirit. The sucker disks on its cheeks and its peaked, beak-like mouth identify it as an octopus. Like shamans, the octopus undergoes transformations: it squeezes its large body into extremely narrow crevices and eludes danger by releasing ink and changing the color and texture of its skin.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
