SOUTHERN ARIZONA / NORTHERN MEXICO

Early 19th Century

Provenance:

Forrest Fenn, Santa Fe

This wooden mask of a deer’s head was used in the sacred Danza del Venado, or ‘Dance of the Deer’ performed by the indigenous Yacqui Indians of Mexico and Arizona. The elegant and profound Yacqui ‘Dance of the Deer’ is accompanied by metaphorical songs and appears to have many regional variations. The Dance requires at least four male participants: one dancer and three singers. The singers sit on the ground playing rasping sticks on half gourds and a water drum. Their songs are about a mythical deer called Malichi (Flower Fawn) and his sacred ‘flower world.’