Plank Mask Item Number: 3420/31 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Plank mask with circular face and tall, vertical superstructure. The white face has two widely spaced concentric circle eyes, and a small tubular mouth. There is a black with red tip downward-curving projection attached to the diamond-shaped panel above the head. Diamond-shaped panels connect both ends of the long rectangular board. The board is painted with five sections of geometric designs in black or dark red on a white background. The centre section is checkerboard, with large concentric X designs, and then surmounted by a crescent-shape.
Adopted from the neighbouring Nunuma and Winiama peoples in the early twentieth century, the nwantantay masks are performed at initiation ceremonies, funerals, and secular entertainments. Vigorous, competitive performers grip a rope fastened along the mask’s back using their teeth, twisting and repeatedly tilting the towering plank, while twirling long fibre costumes to imitate their associated insect spirits. Composed of a circular face and upper plank, surmounted by a crescent moon, dense design elements proliferate with meaning: eyes reference owls; upturned beaks refer to hornbills, birds that are especially rich in nyama; checker-board patterns evoke the black and white hides sat on by elders and youths, respectively; while other symbols signify lineage affiliation.