Northwest Coast Style Kumugwe/Komokwa Mask

Vintage northwest coast style Kumugwe/Komokwa mask. This vintage Northwest Coast-style mask appears to depict Kumugwe, also called Komokwa, the Chief of the Undersea World. The large, curled appendages on the top of the head often appear on Kumugwe and Sisiutl masks, although the sides and bottom of the mask are surrounded by split-u forms that resemble the way sun rays are often depicted. The mask is carved in Central Coast style, particularly in the bulging aspects of its facial features and the orbing around its eyes and its thick, partially opened lips. The mask is also painted in a Heiltsuk or Nuxalk style, with its primary field of blue and red trigons cutting through to delineate forms. There is a rope framing the face and the eyes are inlaid with abalone shell. The mask is called “Northwest Coast style” here to align with the Indian Arts and Crafts Act and because it is unclear if the maker is Indigenous or not. The mask is well-carved in red cedar and appears to have been carved in North America by a knowledgeable and skilled carver, rather than by someone overseas. There is a bear icon burned into the back of the mask that appears to be a signature. 22"H x18"W

1940s 22"H x 18"W