Kilenge (Papua-New Guinea, New Britain). Ceremonial Mask. Wood, bark cloth, pigment, vine, basketry, twine, coconut shell, s...

Description

Kilenge (Papua-New Guinea, New Britain)
Ceremonial Mask
Wood, bark cloth, pigment, vine, basketry, twine, coconut shell, seeds, cassowary and other feathers, plant sheathing
Height: 38 inches Width: 17 5/8 inches Depth: 11 1/2 inches

In its conical shape and in the prominence given the eyes in the painted facial area, this Kilenge mask shows a kinship to the conical masks of the Dukduk Society of nearby Vanuatu. Many groups living in close proximity shared ritual organizational structures known as grade societies, through which a man's progress upward through a sequence of grades increased both his prestige and power. Masking was an important part of grade-level initiations. If the parallel with Dukduk holds closely, a mask such as this one would have been one of a group of essentially like male masks who performed as a unit. The overall condition is excellent, though the pigment remains fugitive.

Provenance: John Giltsoff,Spain



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