Patchwork Pal African Wild Dog Woven Mask

Give your wall some wild charm with this Patchwork Pal African wild dog mask, hand woven from chunga palm. Bold cream patches pattern a glossy brown face with two rounded ears and a long muzzle, all framed by a dark brown shaggy fringe. Hang it on its own as a bold piece, or group it with two or more masks to bring a little rainforest to your wall.

This mask was woven by an Emberá woman in the Darién rainforest of Panama, a skill handed down from mothers and grandmothers to daughters. Fine strands of chunga palm, colored with natural dyes from rainforest plants and earth, are stitched around a core of naguala fiber. There is no mold, no frame and no paint; every color is woven right in, so each mask is truly one of a kind.

Emberá weavers don't only weave the animals of their own rainforest; sometimes they let their imagination wander to creatures from faraway lands, like this African wild dog. African wild dogs live as a close knit pack, and they have long stood for teamwork and loyalty. Masks like this one come from an old Emberá tradition, when healers used woven animal masks in ceremonies of healing.

Founded in 1991, TraderBrock celebrates the handcraft of Latin America's indigenous peoples. We work with Guna, Wounaan and Emberá artisans we know by name, and all profits go back into their communities for education, tools and the teaching of ancestral techniques.

Material: Chunga palm and naguala fiber, natural dyes
Woven by: Emberá women
Made in: Panama
Approximate size: 8 inches high by 7 inches wide
Care: Dust with a soft dry brush. Keep away from water and strong direct sun.
SKU: 22081596T