Deutscher and Hackett

The tatanua mask, from New Ireland, is part of a rich sub-collection of objects related to the malangan funerary complex. The word tatanua derives from the word tanua meaning soul or spirit and tatanua dance masks are worn in malangan ceremonies to honour the dead. The masks are distinguished by their carved softwood openwork frame with protruding facial parts. The upper section characterised by a crest made of vegetable fibres and paperbark bound on a split rattan framework that is decorated on each side with natural pigments and lime applied to the exterior. These masks quite accurately represent earlier hairstyles worn by men during ceremonies. Until his death in 1995, Hosea Linge of Libba Village, the creator of this work, was recognised as one of the finest malangan carvers in New Ireland.