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So hello! Your fellow Black/Native history nerd is gonna show you some cool stuff. This time being a transformation mask.
They’re dope as hell, but also mainly used by the Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest coast. The dancers wearing them could pull a hidden string and reveal a second or even third inner being. The pictures above represent a raven and eagle that can change to human form
Materials often included cedar wood, feathers, sinew, cord, bird skin, hide, plant fibers, cotton, iron, and pigments. The masks were worn during a “potlatch” which represented a transformation from animal to human
Potlatch ceremonies were used to establish social order, distribute resources and convey information. The word “Potlatch” means “to give." Potlatch ceremonies were held in a big community space called the Big House.
The ceremony is meant to celebrate the rituals of name-giving, inducting a new chief of the tribe, and honoring a death or marriage.
Here’s an article that’s really interesting about the history as well as the Kwakwaka’wakw people who mostly used them too! https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/indigenous-americas-apah/north-america-apah/a/transformation-masks
Have a wonderful day and this month and every month support Indigenous people, businesses, and causes. 
