Ancestor spirit mask "brag" ·  Papua New Guinea - Murik · ID: 3040513

Description

wood, reddish brown patina, slanting eyes in concentrical rings with raised framing, beak-like pierced nose, small projection on the forehead, slightly dam., missing parts along right rim, rep. (at the left rim), abrasion of paint;
“brag” masks represent ancestors and have personal names. Each mask is usually fastened to a small frame of sticks and then stored on a shelf in the ceiling of the men’s house. The spirits of these masks are evoked during important occasions such as the building of a cult house or canoe, or at the initiation of young men. “Brag” masks were consulted before headhunting raids and given food and blood. They were also used to determine the cause of a person’s illness.

Comparing literature

Craig, Barry (ed.), Living spirits with fixed abodes, Honolulu 2010, p. 211, ill. 97