Pookmis mask
- Audio guide stop: 153
- Gallery: Room 26
- Maker: Ray Martin
- Date: 1983
- Object type: mask
- Materials: red cedar wood; dog fur; red cedar bark; feather; hair
- Museum number: Am1984,04.11
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a Pookmis mask, created in 1983 by Ray Martin, a member of the Clayoquot, or Nuu-chah-nulth people. The mask represents a Wild Man figure, carved from red cedar wood and painted white with striking red lips and nostrils. Around the eyes, circular patterns add depth and meaning.
The face is characterized by pouting lips, as if the figure is hooting, with deeply carved curved lines running under the eyes and along the cheeks. Canine fur frames the eyebrows, and small pieces of cedar bark and feathers extend vertically from the hairline.
Feathers and hair are inset along the top, adding texture and movement. Inside the mask, Ray Martin's signature appears in incised lines.
Made in British Columbia, the mask reflects traditional Indigenous artistry using materials like red cedar, dog fur, and feathers. It stands about 60 centimeters tall with the feathers included.
See it in person
Pookmis mask is on display in Room 26 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 153, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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