Mask

Item number Ie395 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

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Data
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Description

Mask with a concave face, protruding eyes, a looped nose, concave ears, and a dish-like oval object on the forehead. A rail runs below the face, and another bound with cassowary feathers and brown feathers are also spaced evenly along the rail. Cassowary feathers decorate the nose and sennit fibre tassels hang from the ears. The mask is made of rattan woven over a frame of wood that is thinly coated with clay. The facial features are emphasized with black and white pigment.

History Of Use

House gable masks were hung high in the eaves of Haus Tamberan facades. These masks, though in traditional in style, are now usually made for sale to Europeans. The Iatmul tribes, among others, are noted for gable masks.