A rare Native American ceremonial shaman $mask. Leather, cords, tendons, eagle feathers, shells. The Navajo Indians, the period from 1800 to 1900. North America. Brooklyn Museum, New York.

This mask was called the "Talking God" or 'Yéi Bichéi', and was used in the Sha religious ceremony. It was conducted by a shaman or medicine man in the period after the first frost and before the first spring thunderstorm, when snakes are dormant and there are no lightning flashes in the sky. The mask was also used for medical purposes, especially for the treatment of headaches.🎭