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Course: The British Museum > Unit 6
Lesson 3: MicronesiaWooden mask
Masks are rare in Micronesia - traditionally they are only found in the Mortlock group of islands (Caroline Islands). This typical example is made of breadfruit wood painted white using lime and black using soot. The mask has narrow eye-slits, and a plaited coconut fibre cord for securing it to the wearer's head.
Secret society
Such masks represented an ancestor. They were used as ornaments in the ceremonial house and sometimes in boat houses. The ceremonial house was the location of performances by members of a secret society, in which the god of wind was appeased to protect the breadfruit crops from hurricanes and storms. The ceremony took place in March or April, and included dancing and feasting.
Satawan is an atoll of four main populated islands and 45 islets, covering a very small land area. The main island is called Satawan, with a population of around 1000 people. It is part of the Mortlock Islands (population 5,163 according to the 1994 census), which belong to the state of Chuuk (Truk). Chuuk is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia created in 1986, an internally self-governing republic. The principal Japanese naval base was located in the Chuuk area during the Second World War; the lagoon still contains many wrecked ships and planes.
Suggested readings:
J. Mack (ed.), Masks: the art of expression (London, The British Museum Press, 1994).
J. Feldman and D.H. Rubinstein, The art of Micronesia (Honolulu, The University of Hawaii Art Gallery, 1988).
© The Trustees of the British Museum
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Is there any explanation for the rarity of wooden masks in Micronesia?(8 votes)- Possibly, it could just be a custom of certain cultures. In the CNMI & Guam, there isn't any evidence of cultural masks. Of course, both areas were ruled by Christian Spain for centuries, so if they once had it, it probably died out long ago.(4 votes)
What are the dates linked to the mask?(3 votes)
The date in the caption, "possibly 19th century" is the date used by the museum. It is likely that no more specific information is available.(4 votes)
I find it interesting that this mask representing an ancestor was painted white. Why would that be? (Assuming that the natives of the "Mortlock Islands" were brown-skined.)(1 vote)
The features are stylized, so maybe the colors are stylized also?(3 votes)
What was the secret society concerning the ceremonial performances made up of?(2 votes)
How old are the wooden masks in Micronesia?(2 votes)- what do these masks mean to the people who made them?(1 vote)
- I would propose that the artists used wood because it is relatively easy to carve. The article states that the masks represented an ancestor and they were used as ornaments in ceremonial houses and sometimes they were located in boat houses.(2 votes)
How much could you get one of theses for(1 vote)
e essas mascaras tem outras utilidades ?(1 vote)
No. Just the uses that were described in the article.(1 vote)
- What did boat houses look like?(1 vote)
It probably looked like this - but with palm fronds covering the roof:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/9086042(1 vote)
- When they have the 1994 census, was that all people living there, the indigenous people, or the people that practice this or none of the above.(1 vote)