Artisan Crafted Ceremonial Mask, "Nice to See You"

Artisans of the Kamsá Biyá Community, an indigenous people living in the southern Colombian Andes, design and craft this delightful mask. They use such masks in ceremonies where they ingest a native plant with medicinal and psychoactive properties called ayahuasca, in keeping with their cultural and spiritual traditions. The artisans carve the mask by hand from basket willow wood, accenting one side with tiny black and gold glass beads in elaborate patterns.