Aymara Diablada Mask
A superb fantastical item.
Quechua and Aymara miners in Bolivia seek control of their spiritual identity through the Diablada dance, in which an angel conquers demons. The Diablada figure represents Huari, translated by Catholic priests as the Devil, a pre-Inca mountain spirit of strength and fire.
The Diablada dance is passed down in families and is performed at Carnival, most famously at Oruro, Bolivia, where thousands of dancers portray many groups of characters. Depicting the triumph of good over evil, the Diablada dance has acquired Catholic symbolism over the centuries but still retains an indigenous spirit.
Carlos Sanchez (Aymara) learned the dance from his father. Now living in New York City, Carlos donated this mask to the Smithsonian because, at the time, younger men in his family were not practicing the Diablada. Indigenous families that leave their homeland often find that traditions are hard to preserve in the next generation. The mask was made circa 1975. - all from panels explaining the exhibit.
I saw the mask in the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington DC. I've darkened - but not completely blacked-out - the background to reduce reflections from the glass under which the exhibit is kept.
Aymara Diablada Mask
A superb fantastical item.
Quechua and Aymara miners in Bolivia seek control of their spiritual identity through the Diablada dance, in which an angel conquers demons. The Diablada figure represents Huari, translated by Catholic priests as the Devil, a pre-Inca mountain spirit of strength and fire.
The Diablada dance is passed down in families and is performed at Carnival, most famously at Oruro, Bolivia, where thousands of dancers portray many groups of characters. Depicting the triumph of good over evil, the Diablada dance has acquired Catholic symbolism over the centuries but still retains an indigenous spirit.
Carlos Sanchez (Aymara) learned the dance from his father. Now living in New York City, Carlos donated this mask to the Smithsonian because, at the time, younger men in his family were not practicing the Diablada. Indigenous families that leave their homeland often find that traditions are hard to preserve in the next generation. The mask was made circa 1975. - all from panels explaining the exhibit.
I saw the mask in the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall in Washington DC. I've darkened - but not completely blacked-out - the background to reduce reflections from the glass under which the exhibit is kept.