Maprik mask

Maprik ancestor mask, Abelam area, Papua New Guinea, 20th century, on base. 

This mask represents a male figure wearing a headdress that embodies NGwaal, the clan spirit. These masks are placed on the most beautiful yams. These masks are placed on the most beautiful yams, and during the ceremonies that close the annual cycle of the yam (waapi saaki), they embody the spirit of the first man. The latter is the ancestor who planted the first yam.