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Artist:
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Ngavimeli
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Title:
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Dance Mask with Bird Totem
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Date:
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20th century
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Medium:
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Rattan, feathers, pigment
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Dimensions:
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31 x 43 x 49 in. (78.74 x 109.22 x 124.46 cm)
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Credit Line:
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The Miscellaneous Works of Art Fund-Claims on Losses
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Location:
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Gallery 256
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This dance mask, made by Ngavimeli, an Iatmul artist from New Guinea, was worn during ceremonies to honor deceased members of the community. Two dancers, concealed under a costume of plant fibers, typically wore the mask together. It is one of two masks, danced as a pair, representing ferocious eagles who were killed for causing destruction in the village. As revenge for their deaths, their brother, a crocodile spirit, brought devastating floods to the region. The frigate bird on top of the mask, a common image in Iatmul art, is believed to be an intermediary between the living world and the realmn of the ancestors.
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Artist/Creator(s)
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Name:
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Ngavimeli
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Nationality:
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Papuan
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Object Description
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Classification:
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Sculpture
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Creation Place:
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Oceania, Papua New Guinea, Middle Sepik River
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Accession #:
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73.3
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Owner:
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The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
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