"Kaiva Kuku" Mask

Painted tapa

This kaiva kuku mask of painted tapa is mounted on a cane framework structure. Wooden sticks have been stitched to the tapa creating eyes, mouth and a protruding forehead. The mask has a cone-shaped head and short wooden teeth.

Spirit mask

In the early 1900s, a young boy wore this tapa mask during the kovave cycle, a ceremony of initiation into adulthood. The mask originally had hibiscus fibre threads hanging from it, and probably another tall section on top. Its ostrich look was typical of masks from the Orokolo bay area.

The masks represented bush spirits, and each spirit had its own name and distinguishing features. The kovave cycle was carried out to appease and entertain these spirits. It included a feast, the exchanging of gifts, a race on the beach, the distribution of pigs, and a mock battle. Finally, the masks were burned and the spirits returned to the bush.

Acquisition

This mask along with other important Orokolo material was purchased by the Dominion Museum (Te Papa’s predecessor) from S G MacDonell in 1914. He was a trader and merchant living in Papua New Guinea.