Mask - Truthspeaker (Life and Death)

Speaker: Ike Charlie

The life and death mask. I've leaned on a Truthspeaker title for this particular design. I don't see a lot of people making it. And it's kind of ironic to the topic. First Nations people aren't afraid of death. We never chased it. We never tempted that line or that fate. But we've had these bold conversations. That's why our discipline, that's why our culture, that's why our traditions are so entrenched in what it means to be Nuu-Chah-Nulth, what it means to be Kwok. Wherever you're from, they're entrenched in that knowing, be grateful. Death is a reality. And that's why I call him the Truthspeaker. That's what he says. He's like, "you shouldn't be afraid of it. You shouldn't invite it. It's a part of life. And it's right beneath the surface." It has a two-fold kind of designate. When you look at it, people go "hmm." But then you look, you feel, and you touch. And you're like "Oh, that's pretty close." And then you feel the zones in your face. And I think another reason why a lot of artists aren't doing it, because it's very technical.