The Middle Sepik River Iatmul-speaking people inhabit the wetlands of the Sepik plain, in villages stretching from upper Pagwi down to Tambanum and on towards Angoram.⁴ They maintain a rich and vibrant culture centred on their spirit houses (haus tambaran) and make a living through the sale of their art works. Among the villagers are some world-renowned carvers who have travelled overseas to share their cultural richness.⁵ Masks from these villages have taken on new forms with the application of synthetically derived colour and plastics for costumes and headdresses. What is intriguing is that the stories relating to these masks remain uninterrupted. These are stories inextricably tied to Iatmul mythology and religion.

During travel to this area in April 2012, welcome performances were organised for our team from the Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery.⁶ As we entered the village square in Palembei, two men — concealed with the famous mai mask and grass-leaf skirts — approached us, dancing to the rhythm of the slit drums and flutes that sounded from their haus tambaran.⁷ Alongside the village square, women, children and the uninitiated lined up side-by-side to see the performances, masks and new visitors. On entering the haus tambaran, we encountered almost every man from the village who sat according to their moiety (‘fire place’), with their bare backs, arms and chests exposing crocodile ‘bites’. Four slit drums and pisin (bamboo flutes), above the house, played, producing a spectacular sound to evoke the haus tambaran’s special ancestors. Time had been taken preparing for our visit — the performance was more than simply a gesture. We sensed the presence of the evoked spirits and were taken back in time by stories and memories from long ago. After the ceremonial killing of two chickens, blood was smeared on the pisin before they were stored away and betel nut distributed among the initiates. The hidden meaning behind this ceremony is only known by the initiates.

Next we visited Yenchen, a five-minute boat ride across the mighty Sepik River. Wearing crocodile masks made from palm spathes and rattan, and led by a small group of women and children, a dance troupe welcomed us. The performance was similar to that observed in Palembei; however, in Yenchen, when such displays are presented for tourists and other visitors, they often involve a fee to assist with the upkeep of this tradition. Though this event was not as charged, they followed the ceremonial custom of smearing chicken blood on the instruments and sharing the betel nut among the men in the haus tambaran.
 

Akin to the Iatmul kastom, mask production and performance in the Bismarck Archipelago continues, albeit stirring much more fear, exhilaration and intrigue. This is true for anyone who attends the famous National Mask festival in Kokopo, which brings to life unique and rare masks and performances from groups across Papua New Guinea. The Tumbuans of the West and East New Britain and New Ireland Provinces, for instance, reveal a strong sense of magical power. For the Tumbuan to acquire and demonstrate that power, preparations are stringently and diligently executed. Performers, mask makers, magicians and sponsors abstain from contact with women and live on a strict diet. All preparation, including secret drills, occurs in a secluded place over two to three weeks, away from the public. During the show, Tumbuans hide inside an enclosure built close to the showground and appear accompanied by chants and songs. The host repeatedly sprays kabag (lime) on the performers to prevent attacks by the Tumbuan and other magical spells, which may spoil their ceremony. Creation stories and other mythical themes are danced by the Tumbuan, often in rapid movements as they move towards the venue’s exit. During the performance, Tumbuans are assessed by the elders with attention paid to the steps taken and their movements. When the festival ends, the Tumbuans return to their secluded place to conclude the ceremony.⁸

As experiences in the Sepik and the Bismarck Archipelago attest, Papua New Guinean masks and performances have transported the ancestors’ adventures from primordial mythical times and today continue their journey by taking on new forms. It is the strength of the societies’ innermost beliefs and structures that have enabled them to travel this far. Such inner layers are rooted within them and revealed through performances that hold the community together, bringing hope for a future. The masks embody the power of ancestors, gods and mythical beings invited for an occasion to officiate, with offerings such as chickens and betel nuts to send them back to their homes. The power embodied by the mask is a power that is also feared if denied or attacked. The inner layers that mask-performing societies in Papua New Guinea uphold and propagate, even in this era of modernity, hold meaning beyond the actual masks and performances.