Alaskan Native Female Shaman Mask by Fred Fulmer Tlingit Artist
This is an Alaskan Native Female Shaman Mask carved and painted by Fred Fulmer Tlingit Artist. Material: Alder wood, pigments, pounded inner cedar bark for hair.
Each Fred Fulmer Native Key Ring is made from 1/4 inch acrylic and is double-sided.
These beautiful Native key rings make a great addition to your driving experience by adding some Pacific Northwest Coast Art into your vehicle.
This Native design is available in acrylic magnets, tree ornaments, key rings, and wood stickers.
Fred's Inspiration:
I was doing demonstration carving in Juneau at the Sealaska Heritage Institute. There was a Mask Exhibit show that SHI was showing. They brought up old masks from their archives. I went into see these old pieces. As I entered the exhibit enjoying all the masks, I came to the back of the room and turned to my right. There in front of me was a glass cabinet with old masks hanging in protection. There was this one mask (size of a large grapefruit) that just pulled me into it. It was a spectacular piece. Collected in the 1800's from the Yakutat area. A Shaman mask. I studied it. The ears were carved beautifully- the whole mask was very well done.
I decided then, that my next mask was going to have ears carved on it. My first mask to have ears. I got this piece of Alder wood, drew a center line and penciled a profile. As I was shaping the face, I noticed a small dot forming just below the bottom lip. This small dot grew as I lowered the chin area to shape the face. It was a knot that was below the surface of the wood that didn't appear until I was removing layers of wood. It was right on the C/L, I couldn't have placed it on center, right below the lip on the chin any better if I planned it. So I decided to incorporate it into my design. It represents a labret that the women would wear. Since the inspiration for this mask came from the Shaman mask at the exhibit, and the labret manifested itself through the carving process. I came up with the title "Female Shaman Mask".
-Fred Fulmer
