Headdress Mask

ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-head ornaments-headdresses

Culture Iatmul

Date20th Century

Made AtEast Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

MediumWood, pigment and cord

Dimensions23 1/2 × 3 1/4 × 6 in. (59.7 × 8.3 × 15.2 cm)

Credit LineAnonymous Gift

Object number2003.43.18

DescriptionPapua New Guinea’s Sepik River is a region with a rich mythology. Among the Iatmul it is held that the entire universe was formed from the ripples of a great crocodile swimming through the primordial waters. It is widely believed that the moon is the navel of a legendary woman. After being cut from her person it jumped up into the sky and came to form an entire new being named Körö. This object, which comes from Japandai Village in the middle Sepik River region of Papua New Guina, is part of a carved headdress where the top face represents the moon and the bottom face represents a mosquito. Both are characters who are portrayed in a Sepik dance but unfortunately, we do not know more about this specific depiction.

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