Yam Mask

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Culture Arapesh

Title Yam Mask

Date 20th century

Medium Fiber and pigment

Dimensions Object: 7 3/4 × 3 5/16 × 4 5/8 in. (19.7 × 8.4 × 11.7 cm)
Overall: 7 3/4 x 3 5/16 x 4 5/8 in. (19.7 x 8.4 x 11.7 cm)

Credit Line Raymond and Laura Wielgus Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 2010.28

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About this Work

New Guinea is home to a variety to different languages, cultures, and art traditions. There are only about 7.5 million people on the island, but there are more than 700 languages spoken. Several distinct style areas exist within New Guinea, including the Papuan Gulf, the Sepik River, and the Huon Gulf. Because of the great diversity of environments and cultures, political authority within New Guinea rarely extended beyond a local level.

This fiber mask, while similar in form to those made by the Abelam peoples--also of the Prince Alexander Mountains--is an example of how different peoples within New Guinea can create and use similar objects.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Yam Mask | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=2010.28