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A fine Abelam long yam face mask consists of a spherical face with openwork eyes. A crest in the form of three flat loops laced together with open rattan beading. Weathered patina at back. Material: rattan and earth pigments; height: 380mm. Provenance: Collected in the Abelam area in the 1960s by a missionary. Acquired by LukLuk Gallery in 1990. At the yam harvest festival in the Maprik Mountains of Papua New Guinea the tubers exhibited are decorated and decked out like human beings. The yams are exchanged since a man may not eat what he himself has planted. Discussion: See 'Gardi 1960' - (pl 48 and p158) for related example and discussion. Comparison: See 'Koch 1968' - (pl 9&10) for related example. Artefact Code: ML0027. |
