Description: Antique Historical Papua New Guinea Sepik River Tribal/ Ancestral Bird Wooden Mask. Pre- 1945. - Sepik Masks from Papua New Guinea come in various styles. Styles vary depending on the specific region they come from. The best known Sepik mask come from the Lower Sepik and Middle Sepik. - Some Sepik masks are to wear and others for display. Some small masks are to empower “decorate” sacred flutes, the front of canoes, the HausMan, as lucky amulets and even yams. Other masks were not made to wear directly on the head but were part of a larger assemblage. - Sepik masks vary from very small Amulet masks only a Few centimeters high to over a meter tall. - In Papua New Guinea it is only men who wear masks and they must have be initiates of the cult that produces that mask. Women are not allowed to see masks or enter the hausman where masks are hidden. - When worn the initiate becomes the spirit / tumbuwan the mask represents. Masks have a transformative power. - Masks are still in use today in New Guinea and dance during ceremonial occasions. - Good used condition for age, has wire attached to back of piece to display hanging on wall and is missing one Cowrie shell eye- please see photos included in listing. - Mask is pre- 1945 and was possibly brought back to Australia by a returning soldier in WW2, as the masks were a popular souvenir at the time. L: 66cm W: 26cm H: 8cm - Please message with enquiries.
Price: 230 AUD
Location: Churchill, VIC
End Time: 2025-01-19T22:11:52.000Z
Shipping Cost: 69.9 AUD
Product Images
Item Specifics
Returns Accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Era: 1930s
Product Type: Masks
Original/Reproduction: Original
Material: Wood
Region of Origin: Pacific Islands & Oceania
