A rare half mask from a giant mask.

Western Nakanai, New Britain, PNG, Melanesia.
Mangrove tree bark (?) with black and orange pigments.
20th century
152 x 95 cm.
Collected by E. Tull in 1952 at Silanga Mission, New Britain, PNG, Melanesia.
ill. : OCEANIA N°11. THE FUNERARY TAPA-CLOTHS OF THE NAKANAI FROM NEW BRITAIN. 1992. N° 12
Price: 25.000 €

The Lakalai (or Western Nakanai) call this type of mask KASOSO which means "blood" or "to bleed". This is reportedly due to the lavish use of red color on the mask - in this case orange. Amongst the Lakalai KASOSO masks are divided into three types: the first is the RIAU or "handsome one"; the MALEMALE-LA-HURA, which represents a highly conventionalized rainbow, and finally there is the VALUKU-LO-RIVO, which means "mask from the bush" (a spirit or something not defined, but from the forest, as opposed to something from the realm of man, i.e. the village). All of these masks belong to a secret society called VALUKU, which is also the generic name for the different types of masks, the fully costumed figures wearing them, and the whole cycle of festivities in which they are worn. This cycle, which lasts several months, begins early in the dry season and continues until the start of the rainy season. The "faces" on these tapa masks are quite reminiscent of the TATARO designs and there are traces of attachment points all around the motif.

PRESENTED BY:
Anthony Meyer