Mask of a spiritual being · Papua New Guinea - Sepik · ID: 3032500
Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham/Boston/Massachusetts, USA (60’s of 20th century)
Mark Blackburn, Mauna Kea Gallery, Honolulu/Hawaii, USA
Description
wood, blackish brown grounding, painted with red, white and indigo blue pigment, slanting eyes framed with concentrical grooves, elongated bow-shaped nose bridge, curved ornaments, drillings around the rim, inventory number in red paint backside “1963.17” (year of acceptance in the Rose Art Museum), slightly dam., fine cracks, paint rubbed off;
in the Lower Sepik Area, it is generally accepted that long pointed noses represent spiritual beings while short naturalistic ones portray true ancestors.This mask might represent a mythical spirit called “tangbwal”. These spirits were called forth to regulate the food supply in preparation for ceremonial feasts. When enough coconuts had ripened, the “tangbwal” left the village on a mythical vessel represented by a decorated platform in the shape of a canoe.
Comparing literature
Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 193