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• Auction House:
  Theodore Bruce
• Sale Name:
  Timed Online Auction | The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic African & Asian Art
• Sale Date:
  05 Dec 2022 ~ 6pm (AEDT)
• Lot #:
  9069
• Lot Description:
  An Old Finely Woven Yam Mask, Together with a Fine Old Baba Mask, Abelam People, Prince Alexander Mountains, East Sepik Province
  Yam mask on custom stand.
  H 45, 56 cm
• Provenance:
  The Todd Barlin Collection of Oceanic Art
• Notes:
  The Abelam and neighbouring peoples of the Prince Alexander Mountains in the Sepik region of northeast New Guinea create several types of basketry masks. They include the type worn over the head known in the Abelam language as bapa tagwa. Among the Abelam, baba tagwa masks are associated with the male initiation cycle, in which they are worn by men clad in shaggy costumes made from strips of leaves. During certain ceremonies, these imposing masked figures serve as guards. Brandishing lengths of bamboo or other weapons, the baba tagwa drive off women, children, and uninitiated men, who are not permitted to witness the secret initiation rites. Woven artworks like these have always been a focus of my collection, originally, they were not appreciated as much as carved wood sculptures so fibre art was easier to find & acquire. When you have a group of these masks hung together on a wall, they become something more, a sculptural installation of great beauty. One of the major focuses of ceremonial life among the Abelam people of northeast New Guinea is the competitive growth and exchange of long yams. The Abelam cultivate two distinct categories of yamsóa small variety used as ordinary food and long yams, massive tubers that can be as much as twelve feet long. A man's social status is determined largely by his success in growing long yams. Each man has a permanent exchange partner to whom he ceremonially presents his largest yams following the annual harvest, later receiving those of his rival in return. Men who are consistently able to give their partners longer yams than they receive gain great prestige. Lavishly adorned for the presentation ceremony, the finest long yams are essentially transformed into human images, decorated in the manner of men in full ceremonial regalia. The 'heads' of the enormous tubers are adorned with specially made yam masks; either woven or carved from wood, these are made exclusively for ceremonial yams and are never worn by humans.
• Estimate:
  A$500 - 700
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Tribal

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.