Ethnological Mask Collection

YOEME (YAQUI) PASCOLA MASKS

Dates: 1980s.
Material: Painted wood.
Catalog No.: Left: 81-29-32 by Cheto Alvarez, 1981,
Right: 82-6-1 by Julian Morillo, 1981

Yoeme (Yaqui) pahkolam open and close feistas and cermonies along the Rio Yaqui in their homeland in Sonora, Mexico, and in their more recent villages in and around Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. These small, wooden face masks are the most visual part of the pahkolam costume. They are worn over the dancer's face when dancing the music provided by the flute and drum player, and worn on the side or back of the head when dancing to the music of the harp and violin.