Mask for initiation ceremonies, mid 20th century, collected 1966 ::

Details

Other Titles

Grassman
Mask, fighting stick and rattle to be worn together

Place where the work was made

Kainantu District → Eastern Highlands Province → Papua New Guinea

Cultural origin

Tairora people

Dates

mid 20th century
collected 1966

Media categories

Sculpture , Ceremonial object

Materials used

cassowary feathers (Casuarius), rattan frame, 2 pig tusks, wood, pangi seeds (Pangium edule), rattan, plant fibres, nassa shells (Nassarius), marsupial fur, wood, red and black pigments, green, blue and red parrot feathers

Dimensions

183.0 x 79.0 x 75.0 cm figure; stick 67.2 cm length; rattle 151.5 cm length :

a - cassowary feather mask, 183 x 79 x 75 cm

b - rattle, 151.5 cm, length

c - club, 67.2 cm, length

Credit

Gift of Stan Moriarty 1974

Location

Not on display

Accession number

31.1974.a-c

Copyright

Reproduction requests

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About

This work was collected by Stanley Moriarty at the Goroka Show in 1966. it was one of two full body masks worn by dancers who ran around the crowd. Each dancer carried a rattle with pangi seeds and a wooden club.

Moriarty noted that, "This mask made of muruk (cassowary) feathers covers the whole body of its wearer, and is topped with a carved wooden head of a muruk (cassowary bird) which it represents. The wearer carries a rattle on a large stick in one hand and wields a club in the other. There were two people dressed alike and they ran around scaring the young boys in their initiation ceremony."

Exhibition history

Shown in 3 exhibitions

Loan exhibition of Native art from the private collection previously not displayed of Mr S G Moriarty, Gallery Stephen Kellner, Australia, 15 Sep 1966–06 Oct 1966
Aboriginal and Melanesian art, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 19 Oct 1974 -
Plumes and pearlshells: art of the New Guinea highlands, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 30 May 2014–10 Aug 2014

Bibliography

Referenced in 6 publications

Jude Ainsworth, The Australian women's weekly, 'First stop Port Moresby', pg. 14-16, Sydney, 27 Nov 1968, 14 (colour illus.). 'Holidays in Australia' colour supplement; photograph shows mask being danced at the 1966 Goroka Show
Samantha Hutchison, The Australian, 'Sky's the limit after art gallery revamp', pg. 13, Surry Hills, 05 Oct 2015, 13 (colour illus.). Arts Section
Tony Tuckson, Aboriginal and Melanesian art, Sydney, 1973, 51. cat.no. H49
Natalie Wilson, Look, 'A myriad of artforms: rare and beautiful objects from the highlands of New Guinea', pg. 24-28, Sydney, May 2014, 24, 25 (colour illus., detail).
Natalie Wilson (Editor), Plumes and pearlshells: art of the New Guinea highlands, Sydney, 2014, 68 (illus.), 69 (colour illus.), 159. cat.no. 11
Natalie Wilson, Hunting the collectors: Pacific collections in Australian museums, art galleries and archives, '(Works of) paradise and yet: Stanley Gordon Moriarty, Tony Tuckson and the collection of Oceanic Art at the Art Gallery of New South Wales', pg. 221-241, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2007, 232.