ETHOC 013326

masque de deuil apouéma

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013326
Apouéma mourning mask
New Caledonia
Kanak. Late 19th - early 20th century
Wood, bamboo, human hair, plant fibre, feather. H 143 cm
Acquired in Paris in 1931
MEG Inv. ETHOC 013326
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These masks were used during the final ritual in mourning for the chief. They represent the underwater world of the dead and express the power of the ancestors of the chiefly lineage. They are made up of three separate parts, the head dress made from the hair of the mourners, a carved face with a prominent nose and a feather costume attached to a net.

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Copyrights for Photographic Reproduction

Registres d'inventaires historiques

Les feuillets numérisés des registres d'inventaires historiques sont soumise à un copyright.
Droits de reproduction photographique

Copie dactylographiée en 13 volumes de l'Inventaire original MEG manuscrit
Registres_inventaire_dactylographie/515.pdf

Registre d'inventaire original - non indexé
Registres_inventaire_original/Registre_04_011216_013878.pdf

 

Ressources

Human Remains

The Kanak, the first inhabitants of New Caledonia

One morning in September 1774, the explorer James Cook sighted islands on the horizon which he called New Caledonia, because the landscape reminded him of Caledonia, the old name for Scotland, his country of origin.

And yet the island had been inhabited by the Kanak for over 3,000 years. Despite variations in their social systems and art styles, they all share a close relationship to the land and ancestors.

Bibliograpy

  • Kasarhérou, Emmanuel. 1993. Le masque kanak. Marseille: Editions Parenthèses / A.D.C.K.

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