Dance crest "rom heb’ror’r’" · Vanuatu, Malampa Province, Ambrym Island · ID: 3048555
not available anymore
Provenance
coll. in situ by an Antwerp sea captain in 1959Rik van Aerschot (1928-2012), Brussels (Vrije Universiteit), Belgium
Herma Visser, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Srdjan Sremac, The Hague, The Netherlands
Size
H: 35 cm
H: 13.8 inch
Description
palm leaf fibres, vegetable paste, red ochre, indigo blue pigment, banana fibres, base
Such masks are part of an elaborate system of masks and hats worn by members of the secret men’s organizations that regulate almost all aspects of social life in Vanuatu.
Each grade or rank within these societies has its own mask type. When they are in use, the masks are believed to provide a temporary resting place for the spirits of immediate ancestors, most specifically, the grandfather.