Makah Indian mask

Ahhh....the single straight blade knife technique...........which leads to only one conclusion............... a Williams family carving !

The tags are mostly consistent with story....but 2 glaring assertions are very wrong.
The 1st Nations of the pacific Northwest Coast , did not have gods.....and the carving ( which could be seen as a mask..) is a Nuu-Chah-Nulth carving !

Finding Washington State carvings up in Alaska , was a normal occurrence.

It looks to me like old growth yellow cedar, and being unsigned....leads me to think it may be Sam's carving....but that remains uncertain.

https://williamsfamilycarvers.com/

oh...PS.....nice mask....nice find......the price on the tag is rude.....and on the coast , all animals were just humans in different forms, & the supernatural one's could transform into other creatures , at will.

 

maybe all of the tags, but the las two.....I guess read fast before the crick getcha

 

The mask has Neah Bay written inside

 

I had been keeping my hands inside the vehicle (not collection buying) for well over a year, then October seemed to be when all the goodies came out and, the dam broke... picked up another mask signed by artist along with a totem also signed from same place. wish I could say that was the extent of it. I got rung out on Knife/sheath a bit along with one eBay buy, but did well on the rest.

Funny thing...I would talk with one of the Williams when I was working on a building across street from Ferris wheel on waterfront, actually we came to an agreement that he'd carve me a totem. On the next Monday he was nowhere to be found....rest of my time on that job. He had offered me the one he was carving but it was a little small and I was willing to pay more for a larger size...shoulda taken that one. Live and learn.

 

One thing that throws me about a Williams as carver is this is the first one with that style of bird in center at top. I’ve always seen that styling with Alaska carvings....but I really don’t know much. For longest time thought was a... don’t laugh, mosquito representation. Cuz they’re so dang large up there and always an Alaska tag along with that style...

 

yes, neah bay

 

The Tsimshian woman mask is huge compared to makah mask.

 

Another thing: I would never call it the duality of existence, but the unity of existence.

 

I prefer the Tsimshian woman, that is a really nice mask.

 

Great spotting!

 

Seeing the mask again in the smaller pic without the camera distortion I agree - mosquito

 

A thunderbird has 'ears' on top of its head. This one doesn't. And the long beak, maybe mosquito, but could also be a hummingbird?

 

Neah bay is about 20km due south of the Vancouver Island home of the Williams clan, but the crossing at that point can be a bit sketchy as it's pretty much open ocean.
I suppose the more probable route would be to come down the coast from the Nitinat to Port Renfrew and cross from there although it can get pretty rough there too when the wind blows up.

Of course today, (pre-covid) you could drive over to Duncan to Victoria and take the ferry to Port Angeles, turn right and keep going!

 

Komokwa pretty much nailed it in his earlier post...but to expand, or clarify: the Makah as well as the Nu-Cha-Nulth (Nootka) peoples at one time apparently had a carving tradition quite similar to that of more northerly peoples, (the "form-line" style). Some Nu-Cha-Nulth villages were in close contact with the people sometimes called Kwakiutl, and carved in ways quite similar to them. They were both adversely affected by the white colonization of coastal areas, especially the Makah.
The Nu-Cha-Nulth began to carve in a distinctive and rather squared-off style, different from that of their neighbors; and the Makah nearly lost their entire carving tradition. Modern Makah carvers have been influenced by, or trained with, carvers from other NW Coast styles, and often use stylistic details that might be said not to be their own.
In the mid-20th century both Nu-Cha-Nulth and Makah natives were quite active in carving for the souvenir market, and the Williams family and many others sold a lot of work through shops such as the Nugget Shop, the Thunderbird Shop, or the olde Curiosity Shoppe in Seattle.
The mask above is very consistent with the tribes mentioned, for the given date.
Just for fun, here is a Nu-Cha-Nulth totem from the Kyuquot area, showing a mixture of Kwakiutl and Nu-Cha-Nulth elements; it has a total of five eagles on it, including a nest with three little ones, and one adult bringing a fish. About 24" tall; Jimmy Morris, 1946.

 

My Dad used to fish on Neah Bay ....he loved it !

 

I don't understand fully what it is about totems that Im such a glossy doe-eyed fan of but I am. Needless to say, I am eyeballing yours pretty hard....settle down (komokwa) no hidden innuendo. Just like it a lot. I am wanting to add one with an orca but one's I have seen and like are out of my network financially.

 

Totems come in many shapes and sizes...you'll find find one that's just right !!!

 

yes, George likes to make large masks.........

 

bottom row , mask on the right....Land Otter....that's his too.