Baba mask
20th century
Object PlacePapua New Guinea
DimensionsOverall: 35.1 x 28 cm (13 13/16 x 11 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2647
On View
Not on viewClassificationsMasks
Collections
The Abelam of the Sepik region of Papua New Guinea made several types of masks. Baba masks, made of rattan, were used by the Abelam during ceremonies designed to usher deceased into the spirit realm. These masks were also used during male initiation cycles and mask wearers would scare away women, children, and non-initiated men from the ceremony.
ProvenanceGeneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
