This mask an essential part of male religious life and initiation rites among the peoples along the Sepik River in New Guinea. They represent powerful spirits or ancestral figures, and are sometimes worn during ceremonies or displayed in a ‘Haus Tambaran’ (men’s house) to attract these spirits.
They are carved from soft wood and come in a wide variety of styles in the Sepik region, with each village and clan having its own distinctive features and totems.
Dates back to the early 20th century
Tribal art from Papua New Guinea