Mask of an ancestor spirit ·  Papua New Guinea - Middle Sepik · ID: 3040152

Description

wood, greyish brown patina, painted with black colour, remains of white and red pigment, prominent cheeks and strong nose with pierced septum, flanked by closely set cowrie shell eyes, high rising narrow forehead modelled with clay-like mass with attached cowrie shells and strands of real hair, ears with drilled holes for attachment of ornament, slightly dam., old rep. (the left ear fixed with rattan strips), abrasion of paint;
Sepik masks represent ancestors or mythical beings 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 this masks are evoked during important occasions such as the building of a cult house or canoe, or at the initiation of young men.