Eskimo fur mask

Found this the other day and was wondering how old or new does anyone think it is ? A tourist piece or what.

Thank You

Billy D.

 

These are made in Alaska or Canada, not for native use but for sale to tourists.
With no signature, it is probably not possible to say if it is native-made or not, and I couldn't guess at age - and for all I know there may now be imported fakes of these.
But it is a style I've seen from that area; others may know more.

 

Here one that I have....only it's a solid face rather than a mask. I bought it a few years ago in an antique mall. I love it, and I do hope it's the real thing. I have a very small collection of Eskimo artifacts. No disrespect to those who prefer the word inuit, but I love the word Eskimo and have the deepest respect for their culture.

 

OK.....guess I forgot how to add a picture. I did do so recently and had no problems at all. I remember that I could select from my pc. I believe that I used the mountain icon?

 

I use the "upload a file" button, (next to "post reply") to select a photo from my computer.
The mountain/image icon allows one to post a photo that is already online, by using the URL.

 

Thank you so much! I knew it was pretty easy!!

 

Okay Thanks Steve

 

oh cool, thanks guys.

 

The leather is softened and pounded or pressed on to a wood mold.
Yours is medium sized .....prices vary.
I have not yet seen any fakes cross my desk .
They come up on ebay often.....so keep an eye open there for current values.

Older ones are more complex and can pull down several hundreds dollars..

 

That's whalebone..

 

The first mask is an Anaktuvuk skin mask, from the Anaktuvuk Pass,
Alaska. They are not Inuit. The people of Anaktuvuk Pass are Nunamiut Inupiaq, not Inuit.

These masks can be called "Eskimo" or, more specifically "Nunamiut" or "Inupiaq," but not "Inuit" since that is a completely different culture.

Unlike the Inuit, the Nunamiut have had no history of mask making until fairly recently, and the masks they make are made only for the tourist and souvenir market.

Anaktuvuk skin masks were not made before 1956. The history of the mask making tradition in Anaktuvuk is thoroughly documented, from the name of the first person to make a mask (for a Halloween prank) to the effect it has had on the local economy.

If you want to confirm this, Indian Arts Magazine has written articles on the mask, books are available, and numerous articles in scholarly journals have been published.

The whalebone mask is also a form made only for the tourist market, and first appeared in the 1950s.

 

Thank you for the information. And, I learned something new today!!

 

Does mine have a value ? My neighbor I'm giving one of my Cachina dolls to is asking if I want to sell it to him. he has a large collection of old things from all around the world.

 

but he don't have one of me! but for the right price...........................

 

$ 25 to 35 .....i would say would be fair.....
what size is it ?

 

Okay Thanks, I will sell to my neighbor for $5 then. He is a cool nice man.
I appreciate every ones replies, it helps me out a lot, Thanks again all.....

 

Good info, Komo, Taupou. (As I said, "others will know more.")
I think Judy's whalebone mask is quite attractive, also.

 

I haven't seen the whale bone masks with caribou fur around them before. That must be a fairly recent version. But I haven't been in Alaska for some time.

Whale bone items, even if made by Native American craftspeople, are rather problematic on the market, depending on the species, and the specifics of CITES, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and other federal and state laws.

They can't be sold on eBay, obviously, or sold across some state lines, or, as I understand, taken through Canada by land. It is evidently okay, however, to mail or fly the items from Alaska to the lower 48.

The confusion about the various laws that apply have had their effect on the market for such items. The easiest response is simply not to deal with such items at all. But for people with established collections, it's probably a good idea to keep up with the latest regulations that could apply.

 

Thank you for IDing the fur on my piece. I thought it might be polar bear, but I guess their fur is more short and dense.

I purchased the piece in a shop in RI a couple of years ago.

I was in AK last May/June and I don't recall seeing a duplicate, but that's not to say there weren't any.

Can anyone read what the back of my piece says?

It looks like Evans. R. (first line)

2nd line.......Gam, AK....but the 2nd line doesn't make sense....

 

That's what I see also. GAM could well be Gambell, Alaska; on St. Lawrence Island.
That would be a reasonable location for a carver in whalebone; the population there is 95% Native American.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambell,_Alaska