Shamans mask

Middle Highlands, Nepal

13 inches, wood

Here is a roughly-carved shamans mask reflecting a pleasant, innocent personality. Most of the wooden masks and figures found in the Western regions of Nepal, also known as the Middle Hills, are quite forbidding. In these areas, the local shaman would make pieces to protect the family house, water springs, bridges, and other strategic points in the life of the local community. Masks were a special feature of certain shamanistic rites and also used in traditional dramas, plays and dances. The mountain regions tend to be inhabited by different ethnic groups, prevalently Buddhist.

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