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 This fox mask is a "dance mask showing the spirit of a fox. On top of his head the spirit shows his face which has, like all spirits, a human likeness or can show itself as a human."
Alma Keyes tells a story of the fox who was once a human. "Back then people used to transform into animals. Many things were visible when the earth was thin. Things were distinct when the land was thin, not the way it is today. They predicted that animals and other things that were visible at that time would no longer be visible, and they said there would be many people of different races. The fox was once a human being. He ran out of food and was getting hungry during the spring just before the thaw. As he was going along the side of a river, he said, "If I looked around perhaps I would find something to eat." The little river was beginning to flow. He scanned the area and saw an ilaqcuugaq [needlefish]."
[The fox and the needlefish had a conversation. The needlefish embarrassed the fox.] "He walked away examining his body now and then. He was turning red from being embarrassed. And he began to feel some movements on the surface of his skin. When he looked, he was covered with fur. Continuing on, he thought to himself, "I was a human a while ago. I am so embarrassed, I should be living in the wilderness."
Then he began to travel. He came upon a place where someone had cooked at one time, and there were some charcoal pieces among the ashes. After comtemplating the situation he said "Arenqiapaa! If my body is plain red, I don't think it will look very good." Then after more comtemplation, he took a piece of charcoal and painted his nose and the tips of his ears. Then he went down to the water, and he saw his reflection in the calm water because the weather was nice. "If my appearance is going to be like this, the people in the future will think I look nice." Back at the firepit he saw that some of the ash was white, and he said, "Gosh! I shouldn't ignore my tail." He tried to reach the tip of his tail but couldn't; then he tried unsuccessfully to hold it with his teeth. After a while he sat down, and there his tail was! So he took some ash and painted it until it turned light. "Iicillra!" Since I've become this animal, all those who hunt me in times to come will think I look fine and beautiful." So that is why the red foxes are that color today with black on them."
Foxes are recognized by short legs, an elongated narrow muzzle, triangular ears, thick fur, and a long bushy tail.
Foxes hunt alone because their prey is small. They eat mice, voles, rabbits, birds, eggs, fruit, large insects, and carrion. Foxes hunt in territories of 8 sq. km or less which they defend from other foxes. Foxes do not hibernate, they stay active during the winter. Because the small prey they usually eat hibernate during the winter, foxes eat things like whale carrion, scrapes left from things bears have killed and possibly young seals.
When a fox mates they occupy a territory of 3 to 8 sq. km. They mate in the middle of the winter. The females can bear 2 to 8 cubs which live with the family until fall, when the young foxes either leave or are driven from the territory. Red foxes are believed to pair for life, which is about 12 years.
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