ThisDrowned Man Mask was hand-carved by Kwakwaka'wakw artist Wayne Alfred and is signedby the artist.This mask is carved from red cedar and painted in black, white, red, and light blue acrylic paint.It is accented with fabric rope, cedar back hair, and feathers.

Waynetook inspiration from the stories of the ancestor Tsekame, who is said to have possessed both shamanic and supernatural powers - a transformative 'Cedar Man' born from the sinews of a cedar tree. The Kwakiutl are said to have gotten their red from the blood of Tsekame, and the red represents protection from all.The black and white come from the colors of the ashes of the great Shaman, when he was burned.

This mask, excluding the cedar bark, measures approximately 17 inches or 43 centimeters high, 8 1/2 inches or 21 1/2 centimeters wide, and 7 inches or 17 1/2 centimeters deep. Including the cedar bark, the mask measures approximately 32 inches or 81 1/2 centimeters high, 17 inches or 43 centimeters wide, and 7 inches or 17 1/2 centimeters deep.