Mwai Mask, Iatmul, Middle Sepik River

Chris Boylan Oceanic Art

Ceremonial Dance Mask, Mwai, Iatmul people, Middle Sepik River, PNG

96 x 22 x12 cm

This is a fine old mask, dating back to the 1940s-1950s. It was collected in the early 1970s and brought back to Australia sometime during that decade and remained with the family until recently.

The Mwai (or Mai) mask of the Middle Sepik River is typically elongated. The red face is central with cowrie shell eyes and the nose decorated with matching pig tusks. Below the nose is an arched probiscis that merges into a totemic animal creature, which, in this case is a finely carved bird. The remainder of the mask is covered in a thick  resilient clay and embedded carefully selected and matched nassa shells. The clay is carefully mixed with a tree oil ensure durability.  Mwai masks are traditionally danced in pairs, representing the older and younger supernatural siblings. The mask is attached the the avan, a large woven basketry costume that completely covers the male dancers, transforming them into living embodiments of ancestral/spiritual power.

$4,500.00

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