Carved Wood Alaskan and Northwest Masks

Dale Hanson's hand carved wooden masks are reminiscent of the natives and legends of Alaska and the North West coast.

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 image of Bella Coola Moon Mask

Bella Coola Moon Mask

The mask essentially depicts the man in the moon and the colors are, like the moon, pale, cool, and pastel.

$1800  Add to Cart
 

Tsimsian Portrait Mask

This mask depicts a noblewoman with her labret, (lip plug.) I normally use a single large abalone shell for the labret.

$1800  Add to Cart
 

“As He Sees Himself"

An eagle carved of ancient walrus ivory emerges from the eye of the old man in the mask. What a person sees is depicted as coming from the eye. The old man, though aging, still sees himself as a magnificent eagle. The ruff around the mask is mountain goat and the mask is stained with ivesook, an authentic Eskimo dye.

$1600  Add to Cart
 

Eskimo Hunter

Various depictions of Eskimo hunters are shown with labrets, sometimes tattoos, or with goggles. The parka ruff is mountain goat and the black hair is bear. The labrets are ivory and the mask is stained with ivisook, an authentic Eskimo dye made from the mud of a river in interior Alaska .

$1400  Add to Cart
 

Seal Inuit Mask

The mask is a seal done in the Eskimo style, however when the arm of the seal is moved the inua or spirit of the seal is seen. The spirit of the seal is carved of ancient walrus ivory and has a ruff of mountain goat hair and labrets of authentic trade beads. The mask may de depicted in a natural finish or stained with ivisook.

$1800  Add to Cart
 

“Loon’s World"

This is a large, graceful mask approximately the size of a real loon. It portrays the chief elements of the life of a loon. The human-like hands are the ultimate conservation statement. The loon sacrifices its thumbs or it would catch all the fish and even with that he has a hole in the palm of its hand to allow some to escape.

$1600  Add to Cart
 

Walrus Inuit Mask

This mask is a very realistic rendering of a real walrus. When you open the mask, however, it transforms into the hunter which seeks it. 

$1800  Add to Cart
 

“He Dreams of Walrus"

This is a realistic depiction of the Eskimo hunter who seeks for walrus. A Walrus is seen coming from his head to show of what he is thinking. The ruff of the Eskimo is mountain goat, the black hair is bear and the labrets are ivory or walrus jaw bone.

$1600  Add to Cart
 

“Mary…She Laughs"

This is simply a depiction of a jolly, laughing Eskimo lady. The more open and full the laugh the more I like it. It seems rare to see an Eskimo lady without a smile. Her ruff is mountain goat and her own hair is bear. Women often wear sickle shaped labrets as I have here.

$1600  Add to Cart
 

“Eagle Catcher"

This mask depicts a hunter of eagle feathers- he is obsessed with eagles. He wears a carved eagle feather and his necklace has two eagle claws (carved of baleen). When you tug on the thong the eyes of the mask open and you see eyes-eagle eyes.

$1800  Add to Cart
 

Tlinget Portrait Mask

This depicts a native of Southeast Alaska . The head piece is inlayed with ivory, bone and abalone and ermine pelts. The “spikes" on the top are normally sea lion whiskers however I usually carve them of wood.

$1800  Add to Cart
 

The Red Bear

This tells a story in which the spirit of an old woman enters a red bear which goes up one of the rivers of interior Alaska to seek vengeance for wrongs done by another tribe. The full story needs to be told over coffee. The old woman’s hair is of mountain goat hair and the stain is ivisook.

$1400  Add to Cart
 

The Bear Hunter

This portrays a hunter whose “thing" is hunting bear. He wears a head cape of a slain bear, a necklace of sinew and a bear tooth. His own canines have become like that of a bear, and his own eyes are small and the color of a bears. For his hair I used….bear fur.

$1600  Add to Cart
 

Goose Woman

This mask tells a story of why geese migrate. An Eskimo man married a woman of the geese people. She kept running away as she missed her family. Her husband asked her, “What must I do to keep you?" she replied that if you allow me to visit my people every year I will stay with you forever. The goose is carved in a very realistic style whereas the woman is in the style of legends.

$1600  Add to Cart
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