maxwat'lalqa (Mask)

Possibly a child's mask. Skaaxka, "...a little bird that hangs around the river-bank. and is a greenish-grey color dots: it is also called by the name 'maxwat alakaa.' This mask was used in between serious dances to make people feel good" [Axtsiqaic (Agnes Edgar), Deadman's Creek Reserve, 1972].

Purchased from Davenport Clayton in 1959. Collected by his parents while operating a store in Bella Coola between 1890 and 1910.

Small carved wooden mask of bird-like figure with beak and bulbous forehead. Mask is painted white with black spots, and blue features. A round wooden section with hole sits on top, and there are three holes down each side, likely to help secure mask to the face.