Essay On False Face Masks

Words: 953
Pages: 4

Presently, there are a number of concerns about the False Face masks. Firstly, several non-Iroquois artist make False Face masks and sell them to the public. Secondly, numerous False Face masks are with private collectors who are not really interested in them in the traditional manner. The Iroquois called the museums and collectors to return the masks to the tribes who can take care of the masks in a respectful manner. The National Museum of the American Indian returned some of the mask items. The Iroquois Traditionalists Society are against the sale of False Face masks to museums and collectors. Since masks are sacred, they should not be shared with those who do not belong to either the tribe or the society itself. Traditionalist …show more content…
The Kachinas’ return to assist in bringing the rain is incarnated by the masked dancer. “Cylindrical masks, covering the entire head and resting on the shoulders, are of a primal type. They are made of leather and humanized by the addition of hair and a variety of adjuncts.” Eyes are characterized by incisions or by buckskin balls filled with deer hair and attached to the mask. The nose is of rolled corncob or buckskin. The Hopi and other Pueblo Indians carve and paint wooden kachina masks for their traditional …show more content…
Both are ritualistic masks of cultures. They are both made from wood. They are both used for dances, cultural drama. Both the Hopi Kachina masks and Iroquois False Face mask play an important part of the ceremonial dances. Their masks are living spirits. Like the Hopi, the Iroquois is against any public showing of their masks and seek to have masks returned by the museum and collectors. The masks are very sacred and not to be shared with those who do not belong to the tribe or the