Washkuk Hills, Upper Sepik Riover, PNG.
Early 20th Century.

These wooden masks were an integral part of the Nogwi ceremony, the third and final (and most sacred) of the yam fertility ceremonies that were held annually after the harvest to insure continued fertility. Several platforms were constructed inside (or beside) the Ceremonial House just prior to the Nogwi ceremony beginning; one platform was decorated with decorated ancestor skulls and wooden heads. In later years only wooden heads were used. Douglas Newton records this in “Crocodile and Cassowary” (1971), and shows several examples of Kwoma wooden heads, but none from the Nukuma, which were larger and more impressive. Flanges with holes at the top and bottom of the mask were to attach it securely to the platform’s framework. Like the ancestor skulls, these masks were also adorned with shell jewellery, hence pierced ears and septum.