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Mask of a Valley Ptarmigan

Arts of the Americas

This Yup’ik dance mask representing a valley ptarmigan, a bird native to Alaska that was hunted for food, was worn during winter ceremonies to honor the yuit or “inner persons’’ of animals. The dances were a form of prayer in which animal spirits were asked to give their physical bodies to meet the needs of the community.
CULTURE Yup'ik
MEDIUM Wood, feather, pigment
DATES early 20th century
DIMENSIONS 17 1/2 × 10 1/2 × 6 in. (44.5 × 26.7 × 15.2 cm) Mount (on board): 18 × 12 × 7 1/2 in. (45.7 × 30.5 × 19.1 cm)  (show scale)
COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas
ACCESSION NUMBER 44.34.7
CREDIT LINE A. Augustus Healy Fund
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Yup'ik. Mask of a Valley Ptarmigan, early 20th century. Wood, feather, pigment, 17 1/2 × 10 1/2 × 6 in. (44.5 × 26.7 × 15.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, A. Augustus Healy Fund, 44.34.7. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: , 44.34.7_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 44.34.7_PS9.jpg., 2018
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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