Spirit Mask From The Sepikriver Region Of Papua New Guinea

SPIRIT MASK FROM THE SEPIK RIVER REGION OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA Carved wood with two sets of tropical shell eyes. The top of the mask has the head of a'flying fox' or large fruit bat, an important head hunting symbol. The heart shaped central area of the face has protruding eyes inset with cowrie and round tropical shells. The nose septum forms the beak of a bird which joins an ancestral face.

Traces of native pigments in charcoal and wood ash. Historical crack, with native filler. Usual signs of wear and tear appropriate for its age. Collected in the mid 1980's.

Not for wearing, for hanging in the men's spirit house or'haus tambaran'.

---