DJR 100 Years

Displaying 1 - 3 of 3
Catalog # Name Description
1 1989.60.16 Album Photograph album from donors father when he was mining for gold in Alaska around 1902. Photograph album from donors father when he was mining for gold in Alaska around 1902. The cover of the book is black leather with “Photographs” written in gold lettering. The book is bound using a red string.  1989.60.16 (Album) image
2 1991.47.5 Mask Musk Ox mask from Nunivak Island. Center of mask is the black head of an ox with horns of bone. There are white and rust features on the ox and he holds a piece of wood in his mouth. Two wooden circles surround the head with eight feathers attached. Atop each of the feathers is a wooden fish or a wooden hoof. This mask's intended purpose was for decoration, but created in the style and tradition of Yup'ik mask making. Traditionally, Yup'ik masks were created by shamans, or angalkut, to be worn during dances to bring prosperity to the tribe.The animal represented by the masks were intended to bring a surplus of that particular animal. 1991.47.5 (Mask) image
3 1991.47.6 Mask Raven mask from King Island. Black mask depicts a raven with long beak and tongue. Includes a strap for hanging. Ravens are often symbols of trickery or heroism. Black wooden mask. Shaped like a raven’s face/head. Black paint. White paint for eyes and eyebrows. Red/orange paint for the inside of the beak. Face of the mask is oval in shape. Made by Tony Pushruk in 1955. Sent to UNI from Port Townsend, WA. Animals were seen by the Inuit people to be equals. According to their beliefs, when hunting, animals gave themselves to humans only if they followed certain taboos. There was an annual celebration called Kelek, which opened passages between the human-world and the animal-world. Shamans would lead dances and songs to convince spirits of animals in the animal-world to cross over to the human-world, a way of achieving an abundance of fish or game. They would wear wooden, carved masks during this ceremony. Other ceremonies also included masks, but Kelek seems to be the most important one. Some masks did not have special meaning, and were mostly worn for fun by children during the festivals. These masks were almost always depictions of birds or fish. 1991.47.6 (Mask) image