Mask

This mask is an example of those made by the Kanak people of New Caledonia. 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 some areas they may have been used during mourning ceremonies. According to accounts of missionaries who were in New Caledonia during the 19th century, the masks were used in some areas for theatrical performances on festive occasions. Unlike the carved house decorations, the masks are not thought to depict ancestors. Instead, they are either thought to be associated with myths about gods and spirits, or they are to personify a chief or chiefdom in general.

Decoration

The masks consist of three parts: the face, the head gear, and the lower section. The head gear is made of a woven wicker bask which is decorated with human hair. The lower section consists of a section of bat skin covered in human hair and fibres that forms a beard. Then, below this, there is a ‘cloak’ consisting of pigeon feathers attached to a woven fibre net. The holes around the edges of the face are used to connect the parts of the costume. This example is missing the head gear and the lower section.

There are three identifiable types of masks. One has a large protruding curved nose, slender cheeks, upward-turned mouth with small teeth and eyes that frequently show pupils. The other type has a flatter, broader nose, puffy cheeks, straight open mouth with no teeth, and closed almond-shaped eyes. The third type of mask combines elements of these other two styles.

Acquisition

This is one of two examples of masks from New Caledonia in Te Papa’s collections. In 1948, the New Zealand Government purchased it for an undisclosed sum from the London dealer and collector W O Oldman.