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Mask
Innu
Northern Quebec or Labrador
19th century
hide, paint
length: 12" (Incl. fringe)
Inventory # W3686
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Provenance
The American artist Charles Marion Russell (b. 1864 d. 1926)
By gift to the photographer and illustrator Carl Everton Moon (b. 1879 d. 1948)
Published
In Search of the Wild Indian: Photographs and Life Works
By Carl and Grace Moon, Driebe, Moscow, Maurose, 1997 pg. 350
Essay
Skin masks from the Innu of the Labrador region are rare. The few examples that are known to survive are primarily in museum collections and are all representations of the human face. These masks are most often made from smoked caribou skin, though some dog, fox and sealskin examples are known, the latter likely from coastal dwelling Innu (see: Speck, Frank G. Concerning Iconology and the Masking Complex in Eastern North America. University Museum Bulletin No. 1, Vol. 15, July, 1950. Philadelphia: The University Museum, 1950, pgs. 51 – 52). Their function appears to have been social rather than religious, and closely related to Labrador Inuit masking practices in the historic period. Clowning and lewd acts were performed by the masked dancer in a boisterous comedic spectacle, often accompanied by songs in which the audience would be asked to participate (see: Speck 1950, pgs. 51 - 52).
