C657 Inupiat Mask
Inupiat Mask made in the Inupiat (Eskimo) settlement on King Island, Alaska by John Penetac. The face is made of whale bone and the eyes of walrus ivory. The oval mask has carved facial features. Size:
John Penetac, Inupiat , was one of the last children raised on King Island.
The Inuit believed in animism: all living and non-living things had a spirit. That included people, animals, inanimate objects, and forces of nature.
When a spirit died, it continued living in a different world- the spirit world.
The only people who had enough power to control the spirits were the powerful religious leaders called the Shamans or 'Angakoks'. Shamans used charms and dances as a means to communicate with the spirit world.
Shamans also wore carved masks-mostly representing animals- while performing their rituals. It was believed that masks had powers that enabled them to communicate with the spirits.
- Most masks were made out of driftwood or whalebone.
- Masks were used in ceremonial dances.
- Yup'ik masks represent encounters with the spirit world. They were made to show what spiritual leaders, like the Shamans, saw while they were in a trance.
To appease the spirits the Shamans would make recommendations. They would suggest offering gifts to the spirits, moving away, and sometimes would fine the person for breaking the rules and angering the spirits.
