Danced (!) Laughing man mask, David Knox

SOLD

• Nation: Kwakwaka' wakw art, Kwakiutl art, native artists Vancouver Island
• Artist: Knox, David Mungo (Hereditary Chief)
• Type: Mask

Note Price shown below is CAD

....AND....shipping is FREE to US/Canada, overseas shipping available

This is a very special piece and a treat for every serious native Art collector - it's very difficult to find these.... you just don't see them often!!

Laughing Man Mask, by David Mungo Knox from the Kwakwakaw' wakw First Nation

This mask has been danced!!! It's still rigged as you can see in the back - also, the cover for the back is still attached and original. It's also signed on the inside of the mask. It was danced at David Knox's potlatch in August 2019 in the "Big House" in Fort Rupert, on Vancouver Island. 

Measurements: 14" x 10" x 6" 

The Laughing Man’s does present important questions by fooling around. He asks difficult questions, and says things others are too afraid to say. By reading between the lines, the audience is able to think about things not usually thought about, or to look at things in a different way. Principally, the Laughing man functions both as a mirror and a teacher, using extreme behaviors to mirror others, and forcing them to examine their own doubts, fears, hatreds, and weaknesses. They have the power to heal emotional pain; they provoke laughter in distressing situations of despair, and provoke fear and chaos when people feel complacent and overly secure, to keep them from taking themselves too seriously or believing they are more powerful than they are. They are the only ones who can ask "Why?" about sensitive topics; they use satire to question carriers of sacred knowledge or those in positions of power and authority.

Photos of This Piece

About This Artist

Hereditary Chief David Mungo Knox is a member of the Kwakiulth First Nations. He is the great-grandson of Chief Mungo Martin and comes from a great line of Hereditary Chiefs, Master carvers and skilled dancers. He started his carving career by...Artist bio and other available works »