Mourner's mask

About this item

Title

Mourner's mask

Content partner

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Collection

Te Papa Collections Online

Description

This mask is an example of those made by the Kanak people of New Caledonia in the 19th century. Little is known about the uses or functions of these masks, although their use is said to differ depending on which part of New Caledonia they come from. In the north of New Caledonia, masks such as this are thought to have been worn at the funeral of a dead chief and probably represented his spirit. Further south, masks were less clearly associated with mourning. They were worn at festivals and we...

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Format

Image

Date created

1800s

URL

https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/133145

Related subjects

Masks / Mourning clothing & dress / rituals / wood / feather / human hair / cane / plant fibre / funerary sculpture / Melanesian / Oceanic / Kanak / Ceremonial objects / woodcarving / New Caledonia / Alexander Turnbull

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Creative Commons

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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

You can learn more about the rights status of this item at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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