Native Made Masks

Please note that this current website does not have a shopping cart. To buy our Native Masks online, please go to our e-commerce website at NaturalExotics.ca.

The traditional Corn Husk Masks are becoming more difficult to obtain with each passing year.  Occasionally, I find a few for sale at either the Six Nations Reservation in Ontario or at The Kahnawake Mohawk Reservation south of Montreal. 

The Iroquois False Face Masks are carved from wood. Some artists, like Gene Thomas, use white pine to carve their masks, while others use basswood.  The masks have real horse tail hair and eyes made of tin. 

Smaller than the traditional False Face masks, these Iroquois False Face Guardian Masks are hand-carved from wood with deerhide leather ties for the hair and a loop for hanging at the top. They measure about 8 cm long (3") and are 5 to 6 cm wide (2"-2.5"). They weigh approximately 25 grams. They may or may not come signed by the artist.

Note that our selection keeps changing. The pictures above are for reference only. You will get a similar mask to those above, but if you would like a specific one, please let us know.

Genus and species of Horse:  Equus caballus. Ranch Raised. 
Genus and species of Deer: Odocoileus virginianus. Wild.

Horse and Deer are not subject to CITES.

Native Made in Canada

Registration of Masks at Six Nations

Many Iroquois False Face Masks are not signed, but have numbers stamped into the side under the hair to confirm that the masks are registered on Six Nations in Ontario, Canada as authentic Iroquois False Face Masks.  As part of the registration process, the Iroquois name of the artist is recorded in a registry, but not the English name.  For example, one artist works under the Iroquois name of Hoda’nyeken which translates into English as "Stick on the Shoulder."  

A Note on Unsigned Masks

As members of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association, we support aggressive legislation designed to prohibit non-Native merchandise being sold as though it were Native-made.

In the course of our business, we come across situations where collectors are selling off masks accumulated over many years or individuals who have inherited masks and the original owner has died and is not available for consultation as to the exact circumstances regarding the initial purchase of the mask.  

Unsigned masks are offered only if we have complete confidence as to the authenticity of the mask as a Native-made item based on the reputation of the collector and our expert knowledge of these masks.  We will not offer for sale any masks where we have any doubt whatsoever as to their authenticity.
 

Concerns Over the Sale of False Face Masks

There is some controversy over the display and sale of Iroquois False Face Masks.  For more information on this, please click HERE.