Mask (Didagur)
ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-masks
Date20th Century
Made AtEast Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
MediumFiber, raffia, cassowary feather and paint
Dimensions41 × 16 1/4 × 25 7/8 in. (104.1 × 41.3 × 65.7 cm)
Credit LineGift of Paul M. Harris
Object number96.25.1
DescriptionLocated in the Middle Sepik River region is the Blackwater Lake District where this sacred mask was created and used in ritual dances. The masks in this region are often created in pairs - one male, one female. This body mask is female, as indicated by the long nose that is curved back on itself. In this particular region of New Guinea both male and female initiation rituals take place (most common throughout New Guinea is the male only initiation ritual), and consequently both male and female mask dances take place during this ritual. One of the most dramatic events of the initiation ritual is the cutting of the skin on a man and woman in the form of a crocodile - one of the most important animal figures in their spirit world.On View
On viewCollections
20th Century
