Hands Around the World

 

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South America

Ecuador

Quichua Indians 

Hand made masks by the Quichua Indians of the Andes Mountains in Ecuador. They are traditional masks worn during the dancing for the Corn Harvest Festival. There is a face on the back of the mask as well as on the front so that the evil spirits cannot follow the dancer. These masks are very traditional and collectible. No two are alike.

Large Approx. 22" x 15". Item DME1 - $46.99     Small Approx. 17" x 11". Item DME2 - $32.99

 

These Dance masks are of wood and are hand carved and painted masks by the Quichua Indian of Ecuador.

Approx. 13" x 9". Item DME3 - $180.99	Approx. 13" x 9". Item DME4 - $180.99

 

Venezuela

Yekuana Indians [more about the Yekuana Indians]

The Yekuana (Yeh-QUA-nah) Indians are a very traditional tribe living along the riverbanks in the Amazon rain forest in Venezuela. The Yekuana are the tribe described by South Americans as "finished," meaning that they have an advanced culture. They are very intelligent and amicable. They are known as the best bongo makers, burning the center out of huge trees to make the dugout canoes not only for their own people, but other tribes in the area. They are also known as the most skilled basket weavers. They also are master wood carvers making masks, ritual weapons, stools, and sculpture.

 

Piaroa Indians [more about the Piaroa Indians]

The Piaroa Indian tribe is very traditional in its celebrations and dancing. The masks and figures below are made for the Warime dance which is a yearly cleansing ceremony as well as an initiation ceremony for young men. Participants cover themselves totally in bark or fiber costumes with masks that represent animal or mythological spirits. Masks and figures are intricately made with a basket form which is then covered in beeswax molded to the characters they wish. Details are painted in clay and a fiber or bark fringe is added. Small masks are worn on the hands like puppets. Mask and figure making is done only by men. A special hut is built in which the men make the masks in the weeks preceding the ceremony. The process is guarded from the women of the tribe. Only a few Piaroa are still mask makers. Because it is a dying art, these are rare and unusual collector's items.

 

Guahibo Indians [more about the Guahibo Indians]

Guahibo Indians (Gwah-hee-boh) live in the Amazon Basin of South America. Both men and women make a variety of handcrafts. The women make dolls from bark and fiber, decorated with seeds. They also weave baskets and hair barrettes using a coil technique with  fibers found in the rain forest as well as traditional skirts and dresses with cloth made of pounded palm fibers. The Guahibo men are accomplished wood carvers, carving ritual weapons or sculptures.

Guahibo Indian dolls are hand made and feature dresses of pounded bark or loose or woven fibers. These dolls include a fiber string on the head so that the little girls can "put them away" by hanging them with the other family belongings.

These dolls feature a woven dress of fiber. No two alike they average from 8" to 10" tall. Item VzD860 - $11.50	These dolls feature dresses made of pounded bark cloth. No two alike they average from 8" to 10" tall. Item VzD859 - $13.75

 

 

A huge variety of colorful finger puppets, all hand knit in Peru. Ave. size 3" to 4". Item PrD15 - $2.75 each

 

Mexico

Huichol Indians [more about the Huichol Indians]

The Huichol are the most traditional Indian tribe in Mexico today. They live in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Central Mexico. Their villages are very isolated and insular. They still dress in the traditional fashion and follow their native belief systems. 

 

The dance of the Little Old Men is a traditional dance performed in the Sierra Madre mountains of Mexico by the Indians in the area of Patzcuaro. The humorous dance was meant to make fun of the government officials sent to the area by the Spaniards. Usually the Spaniard sent old men to govern this isolated area of Mexico hence the portrayal of the Spaniards as feeble old men with canes. This figure is made of hand carved wood and set on a wooden base. His clothing features hand woven and embroidered details. He also wears a tiny straw hat festooned with ribbons. Note the very pink skin and hooked nose, the long white hair is made of natural fibers. Stands approx. 9 inches tall.

Item MxD229b - $27.25

 

 

Thailand

Hmong Hilltribe of Northern Thailand

The Hmong are divided into two sub-groups found in the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. This ethnic group originates in western China. For a long time the Hmong have supported themselves by the cultivation of the opium poppy. Most of the Hmong people are turning from opium growing, and are now seeking to market their exquisite needlework in order to supplement their income. Hmong women traditionally make clothing for their families. Their clothing is richly decorated with magnificent embroidery and silver jewelry. Blue Hmong women wear pleated skirts with bands of red, blue and white that are intricately embroidered. Jackets are of black satin, with wide embroidered cuffs. They also may traditionally add piece work and pleating to their work. A traditional motif is an appliquéd sun. Much of the embroidery is done with very tiny cross stitching.

Indonesia

Sulawesi - Torajaland

The island of Sulawesi is a part of  Indonesia. The most traditional area on the island is called Torajaland or Tana Toraja which means people of the mountains. In this mountainous area many people still follow the way of the ancestors. The most important event in their lives is their death when their souls are released. A Torajan funeral is a very expensive affair. Sometimes the body will be kept at home for months to years in order to save for a funeral. When the person is buried, a life like sculpture of them is carved. These effigy's are called Tau Tau. Tau Tau serve an important function for both the dead and the living. They are placed at the graves and also in the homes to protect and bless the living.

 

This beautifully carved Tau Tau is a pregnant house Tau Tau. This effigy would guard over the household and family, particularly any members that are pregnant. The left hand is held vertically to ward off evil from the family and the right is held flat to receive blessings. The forearms are removable and held in with wooden pegs. This rare and collectible Tau Tau stands 22" tall.  Item TrD1847 - $232.00

Close up showing the decorative carving on the breasts, stomach, and wrists.

 

Grandfather and Grandmother Tau Tau set of hand carved wood, fabric, and fiber. Figures stand approx. 8 1/2" tall. Item D DDSu1 - $32.50

Indonesia Bali

Bali is a very traditional island in Indonesia. They have a long tradition of mask making. Their masks are hand carved of wood 

Hand Carved ( Zebra only) Mask approx. 20" tall. Item DMB1 - $26.50

 

These Budda masks are carved in the style of the long eared Thai Budda and are of wood, hand carved in Bali. Although as you can see, the style is alike, no two faces are carved exactly alike.

XLg. white washed, approx. 20" tall. Item BaD578 - $48.75	XLg. gold leaf, approx. 22" tall. Item BaD573 - $53.25

Gold leaf, approx. 10" tall. Item BaD698 - $34.25	White washed, approx. 10" tall. Item BaD588a - $26.75

 

 

 

 

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