LILLIAN PITT Hand Made Clay Mask Native American Indian Artist Wasco Yakima WA

Description

Native American artist Lillian Pitt hand built mask. 1990's. This is one of her larger masks at about 9.5" by 6.5", she has stated she doesn't make these larger masks so much anymore, due to age and the difficulty of working in clay. This mask is embellished with lovely beadwork, and is signed on the back and ready to hang.
Artist Statement
“I was born of the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon over seventy years ago. My ancestors lived in the Columbia River Gorge area for over 10,000 years. My father’s people lived on the Oregon side near the great Celilo Falls. In the mid-1800’s the government moved the Washington Wasco, Wishxam, Wanapum Indians to Yakima, then switched their names to “Yakima.” The Oregon side Wasco, Wyam, Tenino, Tygh, Watlalas, were moved to Warm Springs, Oregon, then were called the “Warm Springs” Tribe.  The day after high school graduation I moved to Portland to attend college.  I received my Associates of Arts degree in Mental Health/Human Services in 1981. It was during this time that I took a ceramics class. It was love at first touch! I knew then that I wanted to work in clay forever.
I have been fortunate to make a living with my masks, mask pins, and multi media works ever since. My motto is the three “P’s”: patience, persistence, and perseverance. When hand-building my masks, I think of the rich history of the Columbia River Gorge, the people, the legends and stories, the animals, salmon, and all its life-giving properties. It inspires me to pay homage to it all throughout the clay process.  When I was growing up, it was better for our survival to try and cover up the fact that we were Indian. But today I can tell you that I’m proud of who I am and who my people are. We are Warm Springs, Wasco (Watalas) and Yakama (Wishxam) people — Indian people of the Pacific Northwest. We call ourselves the River People.
Please view all pictures carefully.
Coins in pictures are to show size only.
All my items are sold as is :)
Please view all pictures carefully, as they are a big part of the description, and ask all questions prior to purchasing.
Payment is expected within 2 days for auctions, immediately, for BIN (buy it now) listings,
unless
you're buying more than one item from me, if this is the case, please wait until I send you a combined item invoice with the correct shipping amount, before paying.
Shipping
I generally ship within 1-2 business days of payment. The majority of packages are shipped USPS Priority Mail. Other forms of shipping are possible depending on the situation. Feel free to let me know if a different carrier would work better for you. I'm happy to combine shipping if you would like to purchase more than one item from me. If you do purchase multiple items, please wait for me to send you a combined item invoice before paying.
Some shipping quotes are my best guess. If I have quoted more than the actual shipping price I will refund the difference, less any packaging fees. If I quote under the actual shipping price, I'm happy to pay the difference myself!
Returns
I have a generous and fair, but limited, return policy for vintage and used items.
Unless otherwise noted in my listings
, all item(s) may be returned for a full refund within 30 days of receipt. All items must be returned to me in the same condition they were sent, prior to a refund being credited back to buyer.
Condition will be based on the original listing description and photo
s. Buyer must contact me within 14 days of receiving an item to get approval for a return. Buyer will then have an additional 14 days to ship the item back to me.
Buyer is responsible for return shipping fees
. Return shipping must utilize the same shipping method I used, generally USPS Priority Mail or USPS First Class, and, requires delivery confirmation. In addition, any item being returned that has a value of or more, will need to be insured.
There will be a 20% restocking fee for all returns.
Please note, If I've grossly misrepresented an item, I will cover all return shipping costs and waive the restocking fee.
With that said,
p
lease read my policies regarding the description of antique, vintage, and used items.
Describing Used Items
I purchase a wide array of items, mostly pre-owned, in various conditions, and with unknown histories. I simply cannot claim that they haven't been altered, enhanced, etc. Most items will show some signs of age, wear, and patina, which might include scuffs, mars, scratches, nicks, yellowing, missing parts, etc.
Please accept that the item you're considering may display any, or all of these signs before purchasing
. With that said, I make every effort to describe any imperfections noted and take lots of pictures for buyer viewing. Please view photos carefully and ask all questions prior to purchasing. I'm happy to take more pictures if needed.
Talk to Me
Communication is key to transactions on the internet. If you have any questions or concerns regarding an item you've purchased from me, please use eBay's messaging service to contact me. I check it frequently and will get back to you as soon as possible. I want all my transactions to be happy ones :) and I will do my very best to address all concerns.
Thank For Looking!