American Indian Horse Masks

by Mike Cowdrey

The first ever book on Indian Horse Masks, featuring 200 stunning color images in an impressive 12” by 15” format. Includes 45 masks from museums and private collections. Text covers the history, usage and symbolism of Indian Horse Masks

“This beautifully illustrated, in-depth study will surely be regarded as an important contribution to our greater understanding of Plains and Plateau Indian art and culture. The publication fully explores the remarkable stylistic variation existing in this dramatic form of horse gear, the ways in which these powerful masks related to other kinds of horse decoration, and the various meanings associated with their creation and use.”
~Gaylord Torrence
Merrill Curator of American Indian Art, The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

"Mike’s deep interest in the symbolic content of Plains art is evident in his analysis of the details of decoration and form of these unique objects of horse gear. This, together with Ned Martin’s clear and detailed photographs of the existing masks, and the treasures of photographic archives illustrating their use, rescues the horse mask in graphic form from its undeserved obscurity."
~Bill Holm
Curator Emeritus, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture Seattle, Washington

Twenty-eight years ago I encountered my first horse mask, and I still remember the frustration I felt at not being able to find any scholarship regarding this unique art form. At long last, Ned and Jody Martin have teamed up with Mike Cowdrey to produce exactly the publication I sought...a well-illustrated catalog of many of the known examples, combined with a knowledgeable text. Kudos!"
~H. Malcolm Grimmer
GrimmerRoche Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico

106 pp ~ illustrated — ©2006