Mask

Item number 3581/1 from the MOA: University of British Columbia.

Public

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Data
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Description

Baining bark cloth face mask. The hat has a sturdy formed brim, which expands into a conical crown, painted with repeating patterns of triangles on a continuous line that alternate in black and orange-red. A pointed wooden tip is inserted into the point of the hat. The conical crown is formed with a circular piece of wood, which has straight sticks attached to it, that extend up and meet at the tip. The interior of the crown is lined with large leaves. The face mask is attached to the hat where the brim meets the crown, and has a sturdy formed jaw line. The mask is painted with a skeletal face design showing sunken cheeks and forehead, open mouth with pointed teeth and large outlined black oval-shaped eyes. There is a hole through the centre of the forehead.

Narrative

Gifted to the donor after an initiation ceremony. The donor was living in Rabaul, East New Britain at the time, working as a CUSO volunteer, 1987-1990. Traditionally this type of mask would be burned after use. They also would normally have a feather plume at the tip (missing from this one).