Producer unknown to us
Melanesia, Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea, New Ireland (Niu Ailan)
Late 19th century
Wood (Alstonia scholaris) carved, sea snail (Turbo petholatus), lime, red ochre, color pigments,
bast fiber
Purchased in 1904 by Ludolf Kummer, planter and trader in New Ireland.
Inv. No. 68354
The elaborate ceremonial masks of the commemoration of the dead (matua) are worked in the manner of the malanggan of New Ireland. The bereaved families commissioned carvers (mata totok), who carried out their work under the strictest taboo conditions and in secret. The ownership of malanggan, as well as its production, was predominantly reserved for men.
This mask was made from the wood of the Alstonia scholaris, set in color, and is characterized by its size and particularly rich openwork carving. Bast hairs on the eyebrows and the caps of the sea snail Turbo petholatus complete the picture. Due to its size, the mask was unsuitable for dancing: presumably, it formed part of the arrangement in the display huts.
Since the malanggane were conceived as a “skin shell” for the life force of the deceased (noma), the material from earlier burials was used for their color setting. At the beginning, the entire figure was painted with white paint, which was composed of the ashes of a stone oven and coconut milk. Afterwards, red ochre was applied, partly mixed with the blood of a pig that had been sacrificed at previous funerals. Red ochre and white chalk were used to rub on the corpses of the deceased at the beginning of the 20th century, so the appearance of the malanggan figures is also reminiscent of their bodies. The red color represented the eternal skin of the ancestors, punctuated by white stripes. Finally, black paint was used, mixed from the previously used charcoal, to highlight parts of the face.
Unfortunately, this mask was merely preserved in fragments. The ear-like wings attached to the sides and a central carved figure at the crown are missing. Fractures and broken connecting bars determine the current appearance of the carving.
The collector Hagenauer described the origin of the carving in his list of object donations: “5. A mask from the island of Santa Crux. Such masks were worn during wild dances and cannibal feasts. I got it on one of the South Sea islands from the Christian owner.” Malanggan carvings were often sold to European collectors after use, and after the “exodus of the souls” of the deceased. Since the carving was already free of the life force of the ancestors after the ceremonies’ end, its sale was equated with the process of rotting. In his large network of government acquaintances, other missionary societies and scientific circles, missionary Hagenauer thus had many opportunities to obtain works of art from New Ireland. Hagenauer himself most likely never experienced a malanggan ceremony.