The Mulki face mold, a human figure from Jammu in the Himalayan region of India, is an evocative artifact proclaiming the culture and heritage of the Pahari tribe. This oval metal cast captures the likeness of Mulki with realistic particularity, embodying both personal identity and ancestral memory. The upper part carries the inscription of the name and locality of the actual individual-Mulki and Jammu-in direct relation to an individual's life and existence. This mold, unlike the other instances in which the cast and frame are made as one piece, is mounted upon a separate wooden frame consisting of two longitudinal parts joined from the back.
Design consideration-since duality becomes a descriptor-must embody strength of character-boundary of life and afterlife-a belief system found in many Himalayan tribes. Pahari tribes are those living in the steep labyrinth of Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The Pahari tribes keep their memories alive in expressive oral traditions. They consider paint the craft into artistic memo. This mythology in itself says that the being would be in memory serving-place: in domestic altars or family shrines-to remember the deceased. Tribute to the Pahari who articulate and venerate their ancestors, Mulki's face molds remain eternally in memory in this interlocking of metalwork and woodwork.