Collection:
Juneau—Douglas City Museum
Object ID:
2005.34.003
Accession#:
2005.34
Credit Line:
Donated by Marie Olson.
Object Name:
Mask
Title:
Savoonga Whalebone Mask
Date:
01/01/1974
Description:
Savoonga whalebone mask. Carved features including eyebrows, nose, and lips; eyes are made of carved wood with dyed irises, set into whalebone. Mask is solid whalebone with flat backside. Hole cut through top of mask with strip of whitish dried skin (whaleskin or sealskin?) looped through for hanging mask. Oval paperboard tag tied with dark green string to base of strip where it fastens to mask. Front of tag is black with "AUTHENTIC NATIVE HANDICRAFT FROM ALASKA" and a hand printed in silver. White adhesive tag attached on top of hand symbol reads "HANSON TRADITION CO." in green print with "BASI" and "30.50" handwritten in black. Back of tag is off—white with silver border and black print: "AUTHENTIC NATIVE HANDICRAFTS FROM ALASKA / This Silver Hand symbol is your guarantee that this is a genuine, made—in—Alaska item. It has been painstakingly hand—crafted and finished by Alaskan native artists and craftsmen. Where possible, only Alaskan materials have been used in the creation of this article, and to a great extent only traditional native methods have been used. We trust it will serve as a pleasant, and authentic, remembrance of the 49th state." Letters "JN" have been handwritten in blank field labeled "Artist" and "St LWRN" has been handwritten in blank field labeled "Origin". Also handwritten on back of tag: " '74".
Notes:
Origin: Savoonga, Saint Lawrence Island. From ANAC Cache; Marie Olson used to work for them. She stated that the wood eyes show the mask is not as good quality as masks with eyes made of ivory or baleen.
People:
Olson, Marie
Search Terms:
Native
Tourism
Decorative
Sculpture
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