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Bear Mask


attributed to Charley George, Sr., Bear Mask, ca. 1920, red cedar, paint, and beaver fur (recent replacement), The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection, © artist or other rights holder, 88.43.2

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Details
Title

Bear Mask

Artist

attributed to Charley George, Sr. (Kwakwaka'wakw, 1889-?)

Date

ca. 1920

Medium

red cedar, paint, and beaver fur (recent replacement)

Dimensions (H x W x D)

12 in x 9 in x 20 1/4 in

Collection Area

Native American Art

Category

Northwest Coast

Ceremonial and Ritual Objects

Object Type

mask

Cultural Group

Kwakwaka'wakw

Credit Line

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection

Accession Number

88.43.2

Copyright

© artist or other rights holder

Terms

bear

fur

Kwakiutl

masks

Northwest Coast Native American styles

paint

red cedar

The Elizabeth Cole Butler Collection

Ursus arctos horribilis

wood

Description

The grizzly bear is one of the important crest animals of the Kwagiutl. Masks such as this one were worn in the Tlasula ceremony, which dramatizes the original acquisition of a crest animal by the ancestors of the Kwagiutl. This mask, with its rather blocky carving style, has been attributed to Charley George, Sr., a carver from the community of Blunden Harbor.

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