Malagan

One of the most important religious rituals in New Ireland is the Malagan Ritual. It combinds social gatherings with initiation rites and political meetings, for example to settle arguments or to gain a higher social reputation. In general, Malagan festivities are held as burial rites to mourn the dead. The Malagan carvings of New Ireland are famous for their complex shapes, bright colors and abstract motives, which meanings are only known by the carver himself. The shown carving was an exhibit from the exhibition “Eigen und fremd in Glaubenswelten” (27th of September 2014 to 12th of April 2015).