Half-mask

Half-mask
Date: c. 1940s
Dimensions: 4 ¾ x 6 x 4 ¼ inches
Medium: Leather, paint, hair, and fiber
Credit Line: The Roberta Coke Camp Fund

Culture: Hopi
Object Number: DEACC.1988.119
Deaccession Criteria: Restitution/Returned to rightful owner: the work has been legally requested for repatriation under Federal Law – Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990)

ACQUISITION INFORMATION: Purchased from a private gallery through the Roberta Coke Camp Fund. 

PUBLISHED REFERENCES: None.

EXHIBITION HISTORY: Never shown or photographed.

PROPOSED METHOD OF DISPOSAL: Shipment of masks, mask parts, and dance wands to location requested by the Hopi Tribe.

In compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990), the Dallas Museum of Art submitted summaries by 1993 to registered Native American Groups including the Hopi Tribe. In 1997, the DMA received a letter from the Hopi Tribe, which began an ongoing correspondence with the tribe regarding the potential repatriation of the objects acquired and carefully stewarded by the DMA. Repatriation was delayed due to the Hopi Tribe’s concerns regarding possible treatment of the objects. In a letter dated December 23, 2014, the Hopi Tribe officially requested repatriation of the masks and mask parts, as well as the recently acquired dance wands. The DMA, in compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (1990), fulfilled this request for repatriation.