Description

Made by the Piaroa people of the Orinoco River Basin region of Venezuela, this mask represents an animal spirit, specifically the Kohue (vampire bat). The mask is worn during the warime ceremony, a festival that includes a purification ritual in which masqueraders represent animal spirits and proclaim their deeds of the year to the tribe, good and bad, to seek respectively praise or forgiveness. Painted in black and white, this mask is made from carved wood with a bark cloth that acts as a shroud.