Transformation Mask

Artist: Calvin Hunt, Fort Rupert, British Columbia. Among the most magical of all Northwest Coast masks was a type called a transformation mask. The dancer could pull hidden strings and the mask would open to reveal a second or even a third inner being. This piece represents a raven that can change to human form. Kwakwaka’wakw, British Columbia, 1998. In Kuikuitl (Kwakwaka’wakw) mythology, it is believed that humans had once been members of the animal world, until one day when they shed their animal skin and lost the ability to communicate with animals. Masks like this one recall that mythology. Shamans were believed to retain the ability to talk to animals and spirits, allowing them access to secret knowledge.