Navajo Art on Face Masks
History
Face mask is not something born yesterday. It has a long history. In November 1st 1959, the first ever face mask worn in a National Hockey League by Montreal Canadian goaltender Jacques Plante. That mask was only used to protect and it was a plain mask. Gerry Cheevers was the first who decorated his mask with paints and it was happened in 1970. Later on the artists started thing about the painted masks. The first artistic mask was introduced in 1974 by Pittsburgh Penguin. It was a powder blue mask worn by goalie Jim Rutherford. From that day till today the artistic masks have their own importance and somehow a meaning according to the culture. The famous was African tribal cultured masks.
These two are the possible designs of masks created and used at that time.
Importance of Face Mask:
After the break out of covid-19 face mask become compulsory for the public in order to stop virus transmission. For this purpose different masks were introduced in the marks. Surgical masks and N-95 masks was one of the important in this scenario. But later on as the virus attack is not that lethal, face mask become a fashion.
These two masks were used initially during covid-19
The importance of these masks in increase after 2019. People not only take it as protection they wear it as a trend. Mask becomes one important ingredient is female’s dressing and it boosts her dressing sense.
Artistic Masks:
During covid-19 attack, masks become a very important. General public wear masks to stop the virus spread. But it was quite boring to wear those surgical masks. Here artists step and started thinking about artistic masks. They started from ancestral designs towards modern art. Now the face mask is available in every color and every design. The people like to wear mask according to the functions and their dressing. Usually the females love to wear same mask as their dresses. In youth artistic mask become very famous. They use glitters and colors to design their own mask. Some people give their ideas to artists to create for them. There are thousands of designed mask available in the markets. Art work on masks made mask more attractive for the general public as they like to wear those designed masks. It helps to prevent them from getting infected and it also become a fashion.
These two are purely artistic masks used
Artistic masks not only represented fashion, they also represent the art work of the creator. Some artists got ideas from past or tribal culture to create design like these. In tribal culture every mask has its own meaning.
Navajo Art:
Navajo’s are the Native Americans settled in 21st century in United States. Navajo’s are famous for their woven rugs and blankets. They learned this weaving from pueblo people. They started making blankets from wool of sheep and these blankets were expensive only wealthy leaders afford them. Those beautiful designed rugs and blankets shows their artistic nature. This runs through their blood and later on they started making designs on masks. They are a very gentle and amazing people, they made very fine music and expert in fine arts. They made stylish masks using their fine art nature.
Navajo’s Art Work:
Native American artists used their skills to deign art pieces one of them was face masks. Initially different kind of masks were used by Navajos. These masks were made with wood, rocks and some were designed through cloths. These masks showed their art work. The artists started working of painting these masks. These masks were used on different functions and ceremonies. With the passage of time these masks change their shape design and meaning. But Navajo’s fine art work is still unique and famous.
Face Masks Art shows Culture:
Various ethnic groups including general population of the world hit hard by the coronavirus. These ethnic groups are finding beautiful ways to mold their fabric into their cultural masks to cover their face. As masks are recommended by top health officials all over the globe but they turned into a way to show their culture in the form of a mask. This not only saved them from corona and also a way of showing their cultural fine art work.
The Navajo nation surpassed the different states in per capita coronavirus cases in US. But they bounced back from the worse situation and some of the Native American designers decided to use their craft to help their community combat coronavirus. Korina Emmerich, a successor of the Coast Salish Territory Puyallup Tribe has originally designed masks for her own collection in 2019. She said, masks not only helped us to combat biological warfare and pollution destroying lands and our health but also a symbol of fashion. According to her opinion, Clothing is a way of nonverbal stories and fashion is becoming a political way to express solidarity.
Another Native American designer, Sarah Agaton Howes is also making masks to show cultural significance. She was making one of the most beautiful masks for the Americans. She is a different kind of artist and she showed this through her work. She said, when we have something beautiful, we take care of it and we wear it. Masks we wear is to protect us and our families from risk. As we have seen with Navajo nation, we know that our communities are very high risk. Even nurses in the hospital are fade up from their usual stuff masks. They started to wear designer masks in different hospitals of U.S.
Navajo’s are the trend setters now a days. They started to use the pandemic to make their fine art work famous and the whole world started to follow them. They started to make art work on masks. Later on Mexicans, Africans and Asian started following them and copying their art. Before this masks usually used by some specific people in the society. The gangster masks also shows a fine art work. The masks used to wear for solidarity with other nation. Now every culture is using mask to show their culture.
Navajo’s are the hub of fine art work. This community is filled with talented designers who are making designs and art work for their society and the whole world. They also make designs on walls but using mask to show their art work is something else. They actually attracted people to wear masks which save them from coronavirus. Generally the people attracted to something different common surgical mask is boring and people not attracted to wear it so Navajo’s should appreciated for their work here. Their art work designers and artists need to acknowledge to set a trend which not only save people’s life but give them a fashion and esthetic feel.
Native American’s now doubt are great artist and Navajo’s designers and their art work is splendid. These artist always comes with something new and something trendy. This art is running in their blood from their ancestors. Sub-continental art work is also very famous and people have great sense of designing their work. But in the world Native American’s are the trend setters around the globe and people follow them.