Mask of a forest spirit "tsonoqua", before 1924 · Kanada, Vancouver Island, Kwakiutl · ID: 3039583
B. Goetting, Beaverdell, British Columbia, Canada (1924)
Georg Frigge, Hamburg Osdorf, Germany (acquired 1962)
Description
light wood, black patina, striking small eyes, the nose reminding of a skull, mouth with pursed lips, slightly dam. (mouth, nose), abrasion of paint;
“Tsonoqua” is a figure in Kwakiutl mythology. She is said to be a powerful, giant woman who lives in the deep woods. “Tsonoqua” owns the wealth of the forest, including the highly valued mineral copper, and as such her image is appropriated for many symbols of wealth-giving. She is also greatly feared by children, because she is also known as an ogress who steels children and carries them in her basket to eat. She is always depicted with pursed lips because she is said to give off the call “Hu”. It is often told to children that the sound of the wind blowing through the cedar trees is actually the call of “tsonoqua”. At the end of a Kwakiutl “potlach” ceremony, the host chief comes out bearing a mask of “tsonoqua”. This is the sign that the ceremony is over.
The object Mask of a forest spirit “tsonoqua”, before 1924 with the object ID 3039583 was part of the auction 81st Tribal Art Auction on October 31, 2015. The object with the lot number 148 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,800 with an asking price of EUR 1,500.
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Comparing literature
Boden, Gertrud, Nordamerika, Die Sammlung des Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museums, Köln 1995, p. 99, ill. 333