작품 상세

A wooden mask with hand-painted polychrome eyes and beak. The Eagle/Wolf is one of two primary descent groups, or moieties, among the Tlingit, the other being the Raven. The Tlingit, a Northwest Coast indigenous group who live primarily in southeast Alaska, are a matrilineal society, meaning that a person’s belonging to either the Eagle or Raven moiety is determined by the affiliation of their mother; moieties are then further divided into clans. To the Tlingit, the eagle symbolizes leadership, strength, knowledge, friendship, and peace. Mask, although unsigned, is stylistically identical to known works of Tlingit carver Willie Marks (1901-1981), and measures approximately 6.75" x 4" x 9.25" tall.