Masked leaders emerge at times of stress and important decision making. In Kom, a regulatory association known as Kwifon organizes masquerades for funerals, and for major palace festivals to reinforce the authority behind royal announcements. This mask is of a type that is positioned so the face appears to be looking skyward while the performer is concealed by a net under the chin. Carved of very hard wood, the features are accented with white chalk, while the beard and headdress are adorned with extensions made from a local plant fiber fabric dotted with black cotton.
Wood, human hair, and fiber
12 x 9 1/2 in. (30.48 x 24.13 cm)
Gift of Dr. Oliver E. and Pamela F. Cobb
91.252
Photo: Scott Leen
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.
