DANCING MASK - TAMAKE

Tree-fern, painting, banana fibre.
Vanuatu, Ambrym, 70-ties of the 20th cent.
Trunks of tree-fern are still a popular material for carving sculptures on the Vanuatu islands. They are also used to carve masks used during rites performed by secret societies. The tamake mask is used by dancers who embody the spirit of ancestors when performing rom dances. The dancers wear high styled headdresses and costumes made of banana leaves, which tightly cover their bodies.

MAP 6222, gift of Maciej Bocheński, 1981.