Spirit Mask Costume. SW Coast, Asmat people. 20th Century. Fiber, cassoway feather, cockatoo, red an
Spirit Mask Costume. SW Coast, Asmat people. 20th Century. Fiber, cassoway feather, cockatoo, red and white pigment, shell, wood. Mask costumes were used in special mortuary ceremonies. People wearing these masks approached the village from the river, in near darkness, in a canoe. Each mask represented a character in a spirit play. This mask, a dramatic full-length costume of twined and woven rattan, bark, and palm fiber, is decorated with seeds, shells and feathers. Objects of Belief from the Vatican: Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. February 9, 2013 - September 8, 2013. de Young Museum, San Francisco, California. -- source link
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