Eharo+Mask

** Eharo Mask **
[|www.metmuseum.org/toah/ho/11/ocm/ho_1978.412.725.htm]

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Identification**//

Country of Origin: Papua New Guinea Date: Early 20th century Height: 29 1/2 in. (74.9 cm) Medium: [|Bark cloth], Cane, Paint Current Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY Provenance: The Museum of Primitive Art, New York, 1958-1978. Nelson A. Rockefeller, New York, 1958. Ralph C. Altman, Los Angeles, CA, before 1958. Francis Edgar Williams, before 1940.

//**Introduction**//

The Elema people of Papua, New Guinea created many masks for use during their ritual ceremonies. The Eharo masks took many shapes and forms as can be seen in the photographs, and were created for use during the Elema Hevehe cycle. The following page contains a descriptive analysis as well as a formal and contextual analysis of the Eharo mask. [] //**Descriptive Analysis**//

This is a mask from the Papua region of New Guinea. It is 29 1/2 in. in height, or 74.9 cm. It is shaped like an upside down egg with a face painted on it. The framework of the mask as well as the details are made of and outlined in cane, or wood. the [|bark cloth] which is stretched onto the frame, acts as the template for the paint to be applied upon. The [|bark cloth] is rough in texture, and the triangular designs which encircle the mask are outlined with the cane. The majority of the bark is painted white, while the triangle pattern around the border of the mask is brown in color. Immediately within the triangle pattern on the mask, there is a red ring which also circles the face of the mask. The mouth is similarly outlined in red, and is in such a position as to suggest suprise. The red paint around the mouth turns upwards in the corners and ends on the same level as the eyes.

Inside the hollow mouth (which was probably used to see through, given that there are no other holes in the mask) are what appear to be teeth made from frayed [|bark cloth], giving the mask an eerily lifelike smile. the eyes appear as though they are little targets, brown in the center, then white, then red, then white again, all in a circular pattern. This gives the eyes a sense of insanity while adding to the overall surprised look of the mask. The eyes are surrounded by a pattern of brown paint which is its widest near the nose, then flows upward along the same line as the red mouth paint, ultimately curving inward to a point towards the center of the forehead. There is one of these patters surrounding each eye. Each of these patterns serves as an outline for the nose, which begins on the forehead. The nose begins with a red oval turned on its side near the base of the forehead. The nose protrudes from this oval in a downward slope, ending just below what would be considered the bottom of the upper lip. The nose is cane wrapped in barkcloth and is very thin.

On the back of the mask about half way down, there is what appears to be a band with which a tribe member would have attached this mask to his head. This band is made of bark cloth wound into a series of strings. When the tribe's men were making these elaborate masks, there were no restrictions ([|NZ Museums website]). The men of the tribe could make the masks however they wanted. Some would put creatures on the tops of the masks to signify certain things. Many of these masks had fringes made of fiber, which would cover the neck and shoulders of the wearers ([|NZ Museums website]).

//**Formal and Contextual Analysis**//

[|www.mispelit.com/ecourse/index.html] The Eharo mask was a mask created by the Elema people of Papau New Guinea for use during the Hevehe cycle. The Hevehe cycle lasted anywhere from 10 - 15 years and was performed as an initiation of the Elema men into the mysteries of the Hevehe cycle and a way for the people to make peace with the evil spirits of the forest and the sea (//Coaxing the Spirits to Dance)//. The Hevehe cycle began with the building of a new eravo(men's house), which is where the mask's were constructed.

The mask was used two times during the Hevehe cycle. The first time that the mask made an appearance was when the door of the eravo was completed, and then again when the Hevehe was coming to an end. The Eharo masks were the fun and lighthearted part of the Hevehe ceremony ([|worldtimelines.org.uk]). The Elema would have young men from another village wear the eharo they created and dance around the village while surrounded by the villagers who would then hit the person wearing the mask with shredded coconut as a way to take away it's evil powers of seduction.

There were no restrictions or taboos as to what the masks looked like or what they represented ([|Metropolitan museum of art website]). The designs of the masks varied from clan to clan. Generally the shape and form of the eyes as well a a totemic emblem allowed viewers of the mask to distinguish which mask belonged to which clan. Some creatures that were featured as totems on eharo masks were birds, fish, insects, reptiles, dogs, trees, and even jelly-fish. After contact, some eharo masks even began to incorporate western goods such as teapots and lamps. Following the Hevehe celebration, the masks were taken into the forest during the night and secretly burned. That is the reason that so few masks are in existence today.



[|www.janesoceania.com/oceania_arts/index.htm]



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References**//

Braunholtz, H. J. "Ethnographical Collection from New Guinea". //British Museum Quarterly 11// (September 1937): p.163-167 Guiart, Jean. //The Arts of the South Pacific.// New York: Golden Press, 1963 Haraha, Sebastian, Virginia-Lee Webb and Robert Welsch. //Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art and Society in the Papuan Gulf of New Guinea.// Hanover, NH: Washington Press, 2006 Randall, Francis Ballard. "Paradise Plundered"//.// //Art News. v. 73// (March 1974) pg 14-15. Schmitz, Carl. //Oceanic Art: Myth, Man, and Image in the South Seas.// New York: Harry Abrams INC, 1971. "World Timelines.org.uk." [] - Website that takes art from British Museums and puts them in their correct geographical and chronological context "Metropolitan Museum of Art." <[]> - Metropolitan Museum of Art website has a lot of great pieces of art "World Liverpool Museum" [] - Liverpool Museum website with lots of interactive pieces on site "The Ancient Art and Architecture Collection Ltd"[] - Great collection of photographs of art from all over the world "New Zealand Museums." [] - Website with art from New Zealand