The mask above is a shaman mask. Shamans would wear masks such as this one during healing ceremonies.
Click on image for full size
Image courtesy of Planet Art.

Anningan

Anningan is the name of the Moon god of some of the Inuit people that live in Greenland. The word "Inuit" means "people."

Anningan continually chases his sister, Malina, the Sun goddess, across the sky. During this chase, he forgets to eat, and he gets much thinner.

This symbolizes the phases of the moon. He disappears for three days each month (new moon) to eat, and then returns full (gibbous) to chase his sister all over again.

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