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Tago mask (E1904)

Purchased in 1888

Australian Museum

Australian Museum
Sydney, Australia

Tami Island, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. Wood, red ochre, black paint, lime - Tago masks represent the ghosts of important ancestors. Every 10 to 12 years, a year-long series of ceremonies remind each clan of its ancestral connections, with two major performances celebrating the arrival and departure of the ghosts. When men wear the tago mask, a taboo is placed on all coconuts for one year and there must be peace in the village.

Details

  • Title: Tago mask (E1904)
  • Date: Purchased in 1888
  • Medium: Wood, red ochre, black paint, lime

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