'^°No.°74f*^' IROQUOIS MASKS AT ONONDAGA — ^HENDRY 383 



by setting himself up as a dealer in masks. Along with the bows 

 and arrows, snow snakes, and a group of miscellaneous items which 

 he calls Indian relics, he has a collection of carvings which he lends 

 to the members of the False Face Society, but will also sell to anyone 

 willing to purchase. Most of the masks Pierce has at the present 

 time have been obtained from carvers who have pawned them to 

 him for a few dollars. When they attempt to buy them back, he 

 refuses to sell at the same price, holding them instead for what he 

 can get from White collectors. In the past he had several steady 

 customers in Syracuse, among them a wealthy brewer who bought the 

 carvings now owned by the city's Historical Society. Since Pierce 

 does business publicly from a small craft shop, he has incurred the 

 enmity of the Council House for defying the ruling of the chiefs. 

 By the carvers he is regarded as a middleman who buys cheap and 

 sells high, making a profit on other people's work.^° 



There seems to be no standard price on masks. The cost of a 

 particular carving depends on how valuable it is to the individual 

 who is selling it, how much he is in need of money at the time, and 

 "what he thinks the traffic will bear." Pierce values his masks at 

 anywhere from $5 up to $300, although doubtless the latter amount 

 is the asking price and he would accept less. He puts the highest 

 figures on carvings which appear to be old and those which he con- 

 siders to be traditional Iroquois types, because White customers 

 will pay more for masks that "look Indian." To achieve this effect 

 he sometimes adds teeth or tusks to those masks which he believes 

 are not "fierce enough," and substitutes clam shells for the tin around 

 the eyes. "When masks have tin on them, people think they are 

 made by Whites instead of Indians." As the Council House people 

 refuse to discuss price, at least on an abstract level, I have no infor- 

 mation as to what monetary value they place on false faces. Pierce's 

 criteria — antiquity and conformity to tradition — are probably always 

 important determinants both within the community and outside of 

 it, while other factors, such as technical excellence and the time 

 spent on the carving, may also enter in. 



In contrast to the large masks, the small ones have lost their 

 religious associations for most people and are made specifically for 

 sale. They can be bought at the State Fair, at the roadside stands, 

 and at the community center for one or two dollars. Most of the 

 younger carvers make some of this size which they seU whenever 

 they have the opportunity. Lee Thomas formerly did a brisk business 



20 This may be the reason behind the carvers' assertion that Pierce is not a mask carver. However, I 

 was unable to obtain the information that would resolve the discrepancy between his statements and those 

 of others. 



