How to Make Iroquois Masks

Iroquois masks have both artistic and spiritual qualities.

The "False Face" Iroquois mask is a dramatic carved wooden mask used to invoke spirits and a dream world. Worn during healing rituals by the Spirit Medicine Man, the mask represents an ancient story of an Iroquois medicine man's encounter with a stranger who claimed he could move a mountain. When the stranger could not accomplish the feat, the medicine man moved the mountain himself, so quickly that it hit the stranger in the face. The medicine man healed the stranger and taught him healing skills. The stranger became known as, "Old Broken Nose." Today, the Iroquois mask represents the stranger's disfigured face.

Things You'll Need

• Basswood or white pine
• Carpenter's pencil
• Wood carving tools
• Horse hair
• Sander
• Red or black paint
• Copper sheeting
• Metal shears
• Wood glue
• Penny nails
• Hammer

Instructions

1. 

   False Face masks have special religious meaning to the Iroquois.

   Secure a solid rectangular piece of non-treated basswood or white pine. The wood can be any size but should be at least 4 inches thick to allow for deep carving.

2. Use a carpenter's pencil to outline basic features on the wood. Iroquois masks differ in design, but all share common characteristics of deep-set eyes and a crooked nose. Use a pre-printed design for sketching, or create your own.

3. Using wood carving tools, chisel the features into the wood, blowing away wood dust and particles as they accumulate. Use a small hand-held sanding or grind tool to smooth out features.

4. Following Iroquois tradition, paint the mask red if it was carved in the morning, or black if it was carved in the evening. Red masks are considered more powerful, and masks bearing both colors are said to represent spirits with "divided bodies."

5. Following Iroquois tradition, use small slivers of copper or metal sheeting to embellish the eyes. Apply sheeting with wood glue and allow to dry.

6. Secure lengths of white or black horsehair to the top portion of the mask, allowing it to fall on either side of the face. The hair can be secured by tacking securely bound ends into the top of the carving with penny nails.

Tips & Warnings

• Iroquois tradition involves carving a mask directly onto a tree and then cutting away the finished piece.

• The Iroquois consider it sacrilegious to sell, publicly display or mimic sacred False Face Iroquois masks.

References

• American Art: Iroquois Masks and The "False Face Society" of the Iroquois Nation
• Native-Languages.org: American Indian Masks