Mosquito Mask

Tlingit
Birch
12.25” x 7.75” x 14”

Long ago, when the world was still figuring itself out, Raven, the Creator's chief and original agent, was busy filling it with all sorts of creatures. Some were useful and well-liked, salmon, seals, berries, while others were, well, a little less welcome.

One day, Raven, ever mischievous, decided to play a trick. He took a bit of blood from a giant long-nosed monster who had been bothering the people and sprinkled it across the land. Out of that blood came the mosquito, small but relentless, and always hungry. The people swatted and cursed, but the buzzing little creatures were impossible to be rid of.

“Now you’ll never forget me,” Raven cackled, watching the people scratch and slap at their skin.

Fast forward many generations, and Tlingit artist Calvin Morberg caught the spirit of that trickster tale in this Mosquito Mask, carved from birch. With its long, piercing nose and sharp teeth, the mask reminds us of the story’s bite and Raven’s sense of humour.