Shaman mask ·  China, Yao · ID: 3038662

Description

wood, matt greyish black patina, paper and pigment remains, beard from animal hair, plug on the head, slightly dam., minor missing parts (nose tip, rim backside), crack (chin), base;
the Yao are one of Southeast Asia’s many upland minority peoples. They live scattered in small communities across the “Golden Triangle” region of Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Burma, and extend deep into the southern Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Jiangxi.
Their masks are worn by shamans during daoist rituals, during which the “mien fang” (“gods pictures”) are displayed.