Why wear masks?

For the people of Melanesia, mask wearing was an integral part of their spiritual belief, with masks worn to mark specific cultural events and ceremonies.

Vanuatu

In Vanuatu, society was based on a ‘grade system’ that involved advancement through the ranks. This was a lifelong process with spiritual power being attributed according to grade. Generally, only men were included in this grade system that involved the making of and performing with masks.

New Britain

In nearby New Britain, making and performing with masks was also associated with a grade system. Initiates first learnt to understand, make and perform with the headdress, and then the helmet mask. The colour of the masks represented both male and female forces. Red, the men’s colour, was associated with flames of the ritual bonfire, the flowing of blood, the ritual of ceremonial self-sacrifice and the red saliva caused by chewing betel nuts. Before dancing, performers pricked their tongues and spat blood upon their masks to awaken the spirits it represented. The colour black represented women and was associated with the soot from the cooking fires, the fertility of the earth and dark places where spirits lived.

New Ireland

Meanwhile, nearby in New Ireland, masks were associated with Malanggan ritual and worn for funeral services and the initiation of young men. The masks displayed hairstyles deemed ideal for young men, with shaved sides plastered with a coating of lime and a large Mohawk down the centre. In New Ireland, red, black and white are the colours of warfare, magic and the spirits.

Papua New Guinea

In Papua New Guinea the head was considered to be the most spiritually important part of the body and the residence of the spirit. Masks were thought to transform the human body through the intersection of aesthetic and spiritual concerns and had the ability to affect the life of the community.

 Asmat

Masked dancers of the Asmat impersonated ancestral spirits who returned to the village one last time before departing permanently. The costumes completely enveloped the body in an amorphous shape. The dancers wearing the masks emerged from the forest in costume. The villagers assured them of their happiness, and a mock battle was performed to make the spirits realise they were no longer wanted.

Torres Strait

Masks in the Torres Strait were made to represent the ancestors, with an associated totem, often the crocodile. The masks were made of wood or turtle shell, with incised lines rubbed with lime, to ensure they would stand out.