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Dance headdress

Image Coming Soon

Dance headdress

Vertical masks of the Wurkun were never meant to be seen by outsiders. Wurkun, “people of the hills,” live in the western Muri mountains and were first written about in 1854. Only one visitor in 1925 wrote that he saw as many as sixteen masqueraders attend a memorial rite. Overall, secrecy surrounds the knowledge of the masks, which were collected suddenly in the 1960s. After decades of remaining hidden in caves, it is thought that the chaos of the Biafran War forced evacuation of people and their art. By the 1980s, a researcher found the masks had been returned to a discrete status, and were so shrouded in secrecy that he never saw one. An informant from the region, who preferred to remain anonymous, described the masquerade as an impressive sight, with raffia hiding the body of the performer who made slow, purposeful movements. Reed flutes were played to underline the masks looming mystery. During such appearances, communities felt the presence of a powerful, but capricious spirit that could be helpful if treated with caution and respect. Groups of vertical masks appeared twice a year in festivals to ensure rain and to start a new agricultural cycle.
Wood, pigment, encrustation
65 1/4 x 13 3/4 x 1/2 in. (165.7 x 35 x 31.8 cm)
Gift of Dr. Oliver E. and Pamela F. Cobb
79.146
location
Not currently on view

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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