Masks

A Yup’ik mask is a highly sophisticated communication device capable of conveying great bodies of knowledge through its use in danced performances. Each is unique, created as a tangible manifestation of a shaman's vision, bringing the unseen or unknowable into a solid form to communicate to the audience. Yup’ik cosmology revolves around the close relationship between human society and the spirit world. Complex dance masks would have been performed during the winter ceremonial season, when the souls of animal spirits were thanked for willingly offering their bodies to hunters. Through entertainment and appeasement, the Yup’ik hoped to ensure abundant prey for the coming hunting season.