Anthropomorphic mask ·  West Nepal, Magar · ID: 3040611

Description

wood, black patina, simple form, pierced eyes and mouth, narrow nose bridge, ears and nose tip with drilled holes for attachment of ornament, slightly dam., minor missing parts (left eye), traces of insect caused damage, abrasion of paint, rep. (breakage left ear), base;
the West Magar or Kham Magar are spread all over the Middle Hills, from Mahabharata to the High Himalaya. Shamanic practices are still alive among the Magar, they reveal the important role of the shaman who may accompany souls to the underworlds of disease and death. But unfortunately there is only little known about the relation between shamans and the masks. According to a Nepalese informant there existed a category of masks sculpted in the memory of the ancestor which has disappeared. Some masks are said to represent demons, others are clowns.