Yupik Antigone
(Real Person Brown Bear)

This mask is now part of the collection of art at the Brimstone Woodfire Grill in Pembroke Pines, Florida.

Yup'ik Antigone

Real Person Brown Bear Mask

The Story of Bear

A traditional Yup’ik story inspired this "Real Person Brown Bear" mask.

In this story, a young hunter falls in love with a woman from a distant village. The man, seeing how easy it was for Bear to travel great distances, befriends Bear telling him of the beautiful woman and his plight.

Because the man had previously spared Bear’s life when hunting, Bear allows the man to borrow his skin so he can make the difficult journey. As part of the deal, Bear made the hunter promise to tell him about the woman each time he visited her.

So it began, the hunter changed out of his human skin and into Bear’s skin traveling the great distance to be with the woman he loved. When the young man would arrive at his destination, he would change from the bearskin to his human skin (hiding the bearskin in the bushes) while he visits with his lover.

Bear could not believe the stories about how beautiful the woman was. Finally, Bear’s curiosity forces the bear to follow the man so it can see this beautiful woman. When bear finally sees the woman, he immediately falls in love. Bear, desperate to win this woman, eventually tricks the man, taking the human’s skin and the woman for itself.

Bear (wearing the man’s skin) uses the man’s kayak to escape leaving with the woman far into the ocean. Bear (in his new human skin) eventually settled far away living happily with his love far from the human in Bear’s old skin. Since the man in Bear’s skin was unable to swim as far and as fast as the kayak, the man became trapped in the Bear’s skin.

To this day, when you see a bear pacing back and forth on a beach, it is said to be the man looking for his skin and the love of his life.

The Meaning of the Elements Used

The various methods, materials, and images integrated into this piece all carry special significance and are rooted in Yup'ik tradition. However, just as artists before me would have done, I've added my own unique twists and interpretations as well. After all, an artist wouldn't be an artist without being able to have some creative license!

The bears face and ears are made of beautiful recycled Alaskan Birch from interior Alaska (around Fairbanks). It was given to the artist who was challenged to make something with it. The roughly turned pieces were rescued and carved into the face and ears that you see.
The small face surrounded by the feathers is the Yua (human spirit) representing the man trapped within bear’s skin. To maintain the brown bear’s fur look, the face was not stained with white clay, which is a traditional element of spirit masks.
The wild turkey feathers around the Yua closely resemble owl feathers; owl feathers connect this mask to the spirit world.
The spirit eyes (resembling glasses) burned into the piece indicate that this is a spirit mask having the ability to see in the spirit world.
Familiar helping spirits are represented by spiral glass beads around the Yua (human face). Helping spirits are family members (no longer among us) who shaped Bear’s spirit throughout its life.
Spirit hands indicate this is a shaman (Angalkuk) mask. The holes in the hands are doors to the spirit world connecting the wearer of this mask to that world. Markings on the hands are traditional spiritual element of this mask representing individual spirits. I've taken the creative license to eliminate the thumbs from these spirit hands to remind us to be good stewards of our resources. If we have no thumbs, it forces us not to over harvest or over use our resources.
The color red is representative of red clay and blood, which was traditionally used to empower spirits to travel through these doorways.
The eyes and nostrils are made of cobalt blue fused glass (traditionally highly valued and are strongly associated with life). Glass with spirals in the nostrils represent the breath of life that Bear and human now share.
Two spirit rings surrounding the bear’s face represent a traditional element of Yup’ik cosmology; the inner ring represents the here and now of our existence, the outer ring represents the spirit world. These are inter-connected to show the traditional Yup’ik belief that there is no separation between the spirit and the physical worlds.
Eagle feathers are represented by laminated hardwoods surrounding the mask. Imagine what this piece would look like with actual eagle feathers. (Federal and state laws prohibit the use of actual eagle feathers.)
Dark pearls were inlaid on the eagle feathers to represent a larger connection to familiar protective spirits.
Salmon surrounding the face of Bear are spiritual representations of fish significant to the lifeway of Bear giving Bear spiritual power and strength.
The bear claws attached between the spirit rings represent strength related elements. The first relationship is the strong physical and spiritual connection between Bear and human in this story. The other relationship represents the strong connection between the physical and spirit world expressed throughout the story.

This Mask Can Be Worn

Since recording serial numbers on my masks, this bear mask is significant; it is the100th mask I’ve made as a professional artist. More importantly, I wanted my 100th piece to be an authentic wearable Alaskan Yup’ik style mask representing a traditional story using contemporary materials.

With wearability as a goal, a bite bar and deer hide straps behind the mask allow this mask to be worn. Due to the size of this piece, great caution should be taken when wearing this mask to prevent both damage to the mask and injury to the wearer.

It is also important to note that large masks like this were hung from the ceiling while being worn due to the weight and size.

Bear's New Home

This style of bear mask will not be repeated and is an original hand crafted museum quality piece. Upon completion, this piece was smudged and blessed to protect it and the place it will call its new home.

This mask would be appropriate for a place of bears, a place resembling a bear den in the sense that it provides comfort, a feeling of warmth, and protection. It would also be appropriate for anyone that has been around bears who has come to know and understand their strength, power, and tenderness. Anyone that has spent time around bears usually gains a great deal of respect for these beautiful creatures and the life they lead.

May the strength, power, and wisdom of Bear and the human spirit within bring much cheer, comfort, protection, and luck to Bear’s new den.