Big wickerwork mask "didagur" ·  Papua New Guinea - Middle Sepik · ID: 3032334

Description

rattan, red, white and black pigment, feathers, rattan framework, coated with lygodium wickerwork, a raised nose ridge with trunk-like prolongation, min. dam., traces of abrasion, small missing parts;
“didagur” masks were used at initiation ceremonies. They are represented in both male and female forms, the male identified by the long nose. The latter is interpreted variously, as depiction of an Echidna head, lizard tail or frigate bird, which is known as “soul bird” all over Oceania.

Comparing literature

Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 250, ill. 273