Yam mask · Papua New Guinea, Abelam · ID: 3042958
sold
EUR 1,000
Provenance
Greg Hamson, Palos Verdes, California, USA (field collected in the early 2000s in the Southern Abelam area near Ugutagwa village)Michael Hamson, Palos Verdes, California, USA
Size
H: 26 cm
H: 10.2 inch
Description
wood, painted with bright red pigment, accents in white and black, bearded ancestor spirit head, superimposed to slightly vaulted flat plate, drilled holes for attachment in pairs on top and at the bottom, slightly dam., abrasion of paint, base.
Masks of that kind were used when the “big yam” was harvested. The fruit was looked upon as a spiritual being and was adorned with such masks and feathers of the white cockatoo.