Native American artist Lillian Pitt hand built mask. This is one of her larger masks at about 9.5″ by 6.5″, she has stated she doesn’t make these larger masks so much anymore, due to age and the difficulty of working in clay. This mask is embellished with lovely beadwork, and is signed on the back and ready to hang. I was born of the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon over seventy years ago. My ancestors lived in the Columbia River Gorge area for over 10,000 years. My fathers people lived on the Oregon side near the great Celilo Falls. In the mid-1800s the government moved the Washington Wasco, Wishxam, Wanapum Indians to Yakima, then switched their names to Yakima. The Oregon side Wasco, Wyam, Tenino, Tygh, Watlalas, were moved to Warm Springs, Oregon, then were called the Warm Springs Tribe. The day after high school graduation I moved to Portland to attend college. I received my Associates of Arts degree in Mental Health/Human Services in 1981. It was during this time that I took a ceramics class. It was love at first touch! I knew then that I wanted to work in clay forever. I have been fortunate to make a living with my masks, mask pins, and multi media works ever since. My motto is the three Ps: patience, persistence, and perseverance. When hand-building my masks, I think of the rich history of the Columbia River Gorge, the people, the legends and stories, the animals, salmon, and all its life-giving properties. It inspires me to pay homage to it all throughout the clay process. When I was growing up, it was better for our survival to try and cover up the fact that we were Indian. We are Warm Springs, Wasco (Watalas) and Yakama (Wishxam) people Indian people of the Pacific Northwest. We call ourselves the River People. Please view all pictures carefully. Coins in pictures are to show size only. Please view all pictures carefully, as they are a big part of the description, and ask all questions prior to purchasing. Feel free to let me know if a different carrier would work better for you. Unless otherwise noted in my listings. Condition will be based on the original listing description and photo. With that said, p. Lease read my policies regarding the description of antique, vintage, and used items. I simply cannot claim that they haven’t been altered, enhanced, etc. Most items will show some signs of age, wear, and patina, which might include scuffs, mars, scratches, nicks, yellowing, missing parts, etc. Please accept that the item you’re considering may display any, or all of these signs before purchasing. Please view photos carefully and ask all questions prior to purchasing. I’m happy to take more pictures if needed. I check it frequently and will get back to you as soon as possible. The item “LILLIAN PITT Hand Made Clay Mask Native American Indian Artist Wasco Yakima WA” is in sale since Saturday, October 10, 2020. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Cultures & Ethnicities\Native American\ US\1935-Now\Masks & Headdresses”. The seller is “druusilla4″ and is located in Florence, Oregon. This item can be shipped to United States.
- Handmade: Yes
- Modified Item: No
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Medium: Clay
- Signed By Artist: Yes
- Culture: Native American: US
- Artisan: Lillian Pitt
- Origin: Pacific Northwest
- Tribal Affiliation: Warm Springs, Wasco, Yakima