The Deer Mask

Hola! Yesterday I visited a friend who collects Mayan deer masks. I thought you might enjoy seeing these pictures.

This particular style is carved and painted by a young man who lives in the campo, or countryside.
The masks are three colors, red represents Jesus Christ, white represents peace and black, the darkness. The hair is from the Palomino horse. There are four crosses on each mask, they represent the four winds.

There is a design, or pathway, on the sides of every mask, this design represents wisdom to finding the path.

Throughout each year there are many times when the indigenous Mayo and Yaqui Indians of Sonora perform the deer dance, or pascola as it is called. When I walked to La Aduana in the night, that was the deer dance I took a video of and posted for you to see.

Before the wood carver can carve a deer mask, he must dream the dance for many nights. He lies still and in his dream, he will fight the wolves. He watches for snakes, carefully, because an Indian cannot kill a snake, it will bring him bad luck. In his dream, as he dances and fights the wolf, he sees the mask he is wearing and then, he carves that mask.

These masks are carved from the roots of coconut palms.

Below is the wolf mask, created and worn also by Mayan and Yaqui Indians of Sonora.

Tomorrow there is a deer dance in the town of Etchojoa and we are thinking about going. We are still tired from all of our NOB trips and not sure we even want to make the hour and a half drive. But I thought you might enjoy seeing the incredible talent and skill it takes to carve and paint this particular deer mask. Of course, there are many, many different deer masks. Some are oval and made from old wood with just eyes, nose and mouth while others are very elaborate with actual antlers from the deer and glass eyes and ribbon streamers.

It got just a little warm today. In the nineties, but again, a very nice wind has been blowing all day and it keeps the heat down. We are off to a barbeque. Have a great night whatever you are doing!