BEFORE CONSERVATION
AFTER CONSERVATION
Sepik River Region, Papua New Guinea
20th century
Turtle shell, cane basketry, clay, pigment, cowrie shells, and cassowary feathers,
L. 23 cm x W. 3.5 cm x H. 27 cm
Mace collection #TM-069
The art of the Sepik River region of Papua New Guinea revolves heavily around men’s societies and their associated ceremonies and initiations. Sepik River religions involve ancestor worship, and many of the masks produced in this region represent either mythological or ancestral spirits, which are believed to provide aid in warfare activities. The masks are made by male artists, and while most are carved out of soft wood, some are made with turtle shells, as with this mask. Masks may also be covered with a clay paste and may have attached basketry. Red, white, yellow, and black clay or mineral pigments are painted onto the masks in flowing lines and shapes, and the masks frequently have exaggerated noses and incorporate elements of native animals such as boar tusks, cassowary feathers, and cowrie shells. Some of these elements also have specific meanings; for example, white and red pigments often symbolize warfare, and cowrie shells represent wealth, as the shells were once used as currency on the island.
Sepik River region masks may have many different uses. Some are used in ceremonies and worn with a cloth, wicker, or raffia dance costume, but because masks are not usually worn over the face, they lack holes for eyes. Other masks, like this turtle shell mask, are used for display to the entire community or for display in individual dwellings, or they may only be displayed in the men’s ceremonial house to the adult men who have been initiated into the men’s society. The masks are usually made and displayed in order to attract useful spirits and to bring good luck before a hunting expedition or raid. Since colonization by Germany and Great Britain in the early 20th century, traditional Papua New Guinea masks are still made for rituals, but they are often also made largely for sale to tourists.
For more information, you may contact the researcher(s) noted in the title of this exhibit entry, or Dr. Billie Follensbee, the professor of the course, at BillieFollensbee@MissouriState.edu