Shaman mask
Emil Storrer, Zurich, Switzerland
Description
wood, matt brown patina, black and red paint, white pigment, animal bristles, protruding round eyes with drilled holes, nose and mouth striking askew, wing-like projecting ears, expressive forms enhanced by painting, slightly dam. (ears), crack (forhead), animal bristles missing in parts, abrasion of paint;
“Dayak” is a collective term for hundreds of various tribes. They settle all over Borneo, within the area of three different states (Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia). The Dayak have five different mask types - for harvest festivals, fertility rites, masquerades for demons and spirits and shaman masks, serving to separate the souls of the deceased from the living.