Mask
| Culture | Kanak |
|---|---|
| Title | Mask (Apouema) |
| Date | 19th–early 20th century |
| Medium | Wood, feathers, hair, bark, fiber, and and pigment |
| Dimensions | Object: 62 1/8 × 9 1/2 × 25 1/2 in. (157.8 × 24.1 × 64.8 cm) Overall (includes mount): 79 3/4 × 9 1/2 × 25 1/2 in. (202.6 × 24.1 × 64.8 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 74.77.2 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
This face mask has an exaggerated nose and the lips are spread wide showing a full mouth of teeth. At the top of the mask is a dome-like structure that was covered with human hair, much of which of now missing, while the portion of the mask below the face is made of layers of feathers.
In addition to the very expressive wood carving consisting of a large nose and a grinning, tooth-filled mouth, this mask ensemble includes a headpiece of human hair attached to a basketry framework. The masquerader would also wear a body covering of feathers attached to fiber netting.
Since masking traditions had for the most part ended by the late nineteenth century, we have little definitive information about their meaning or use. Given personal names, the masks have been said to represent a water spirit associated with ancestors as well as forest spirits represented by birds. The masks have been described as appearing in a variety of circumstances, perhaps reflecting varying practices in different parts of the island. These include the wearing of the mask by a chief at important gatherings and the appearance of several of the masks at mourning rites for deceased chiefs. The hair on the masks is said to have come from male mourners, who cut their hair at the end of a mourning period.
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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Cite this page
"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=74.77.2