dance-mask
- Museum number
- Am1994,13.57
- Description
-
Dance-mask; carved from wood; in the form of human face; holes carved for eyes and mouth; painted black with pink around eye and mouth openings; holes carved at temples, through which is threaded string to hang mask.
- Production date
- 1990s
- Dimensions
-
Height: 21 centimetres
-
Width: 16.50 centimetres
-
Depth: 8.50 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- On December 22, the Maya Deer Dance begins. The dance itself is performed by 24 players, dressed in colourful costumes. Players include a jaguar (locally called a "tiger"), a joker, a man dressed as an older woman and another dressed as a maiden, a hunter, a pair of dogs, a few soldiers and about six sacred deer. As the act is played out, the jaguar kidnaps the maiden, the hunter pursues the jaguar and the dogs chase the deer while the joker pokes fun at everyone.
During meetings with Chloe Sayer, Lucio Bolon explained that he had converted to the Protestant faith so could no longer encourage anyone to perform this dance. He was willing to carve a set of masks for a museum, however.
The inhabitants of Maya Centre had migrated fairly recently from the Toledo District, so share in the general Mopan culture of the Toledo District.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1994
- Acquisition notes
- Cost for entire collection.
- Department
- Africa, Oceania and the Americas
- Registration number
- Am1994,13.57