This intensely poetic yet powerful mask symbolizes the shamanic voyage and the physical/visual transformations it occurs. The center of the mask is illuminated by a smiling face while the naturalistic representation of a seal head with open jaws conveys a sense of strength and mystery.
This type of representation associating symbols of both the animal and human world constitutes the very essence of Yup’ik beliefs and iconography. This mask is a surrealist manifesto in itself!