This mask is a one-of-a-kind museum
piece that I purchased at the Abenaki reservation in Odanak, Quebec, in
July 2005 from Marguerite Panadis, who was liquidating her store as a
result of an illness that set in around 2000. It was made by
Marijean Gill about seventy-five years ago (circa 1940). It
hung in Ms. Panadis's store on the reservation for 30
years.
The mask was old when Marijean Gill gave it to Ms. Panadis. It is called "Le masque de la bonne danse" in French or "The
Mask of the Good Dance" in English. It is a good luck mask. Marguerite
claims that it brought her good luck over the years at her store. It
is now hanging in my home in Toronto. We cannot export this from Canada without getting a release for exporting cultural property. This can take up to a year to obtain.
The mask was made using sweetgrass, ash splint, corn husk
for the hair, and corn silk for the eye brows. The mask is in
excellent condition.
Order Code |
Description |
Price |
R-35-AB |
Abenaki Mask:Le
masque de la bonne danse |
Not for Sale |
To the best of Marguerite's knowledge, there is only one
other mask extant--at the museum in Odanak. This is a true
collector's piece. Madame Gill showed about 10 people on the
reservation how to make this mask, including her own daughter. None
of them used what they learned to make the masks. Madame Gill would
not show Marguerite, a master basket maker, how to make this mask because
she was afraid that Marguerite would make them and compete with her.
Madame Gill died in the late nineties at around 80 years
old.
Note: The information in this webpage is from an
interview with Marguerite Panadis by Paul Crosby at her home in July
2005. All pictures were taken by Paul Crosby and copyright is
claimed.
Genus and Species: Hierochloe
odorata. Wild.
Native Made in Canada |