TLINKIT MASKS 



I49 



are kept the elaborately carved and painted masks used 

 in ceremonial and religious dances, and highly reverenced 

 for the mysterious power they are supposed to possess. 

 They are of diverse forms and patterns : some represent 

 the heads of birds and 

 beasts; others the hu- 

 man face in repose or 

 distorted. 



The variety in these 

 masks is quite extraor- 

 dinary. They are an 

 important feature of all 

 the ceremonial dances 

 practiced by these In- 

 dians, and as these cere- 



TLINKIT MASKS. 



monies occupy a considerable portion of the people's 

 lives, it may be imagined that the masks are numerous 

 and diverse. Besides the forms mentioned, masks often 

 represent conventionalized animals hardly to be recognized 



