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Transformation Mask
Donated by "Atlas"
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Image taken at Vancouver Airport, British Columbia, Canada.
Caption Reads:
"The Transformation Mask is one of the most dramatic carvings of the Kwakwaka'wakw peoples. It depicts the inner and outer being. The dancer emerges from behind a dance screen with the mask in the closed position. As the dance proceeds, the dancer whirls about and the mask snaps open to reveal the inner being. This mask, carved from red cedar, presents Raven on the outside. Bak'was the wild man of the woods, appears within."
Similar masks are used by Native American peoples along the Pacific Northwest coast, and in Alaska.
More Information about similar masks can be found here
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