Hamat'sa mask, Denver Art Museum, Colorado, USA

Four-faced Hamat'sa Mask, c. 1938, by George Walkus, Canadian, c. 1890-1950, made from wood, paint, string and cedar bark, bought through the Native Arts Acquisition Fund, in the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado, USA. Native Americans on the North West Coast use masks in feasts called potlatches, held to celebrate clan status. This mask represents a bird monster called Galokwudzuwis, or Crooked Beak, and is worn by a member of the Hamat'sa Society. Above the crooked beak is the head of a crane, while two raven heads project from the back of the mask. By pulling strings, parts of the mask move to create sound and movement during the dance. Picture by Manuel Cohen

Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom and United States Of America

Acquisition Artefact Beak Colorado Crooked Denver Fund Haida Potlatch Pueblo Puebloan Raven

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