Object Name: Ceremonial house painting

Place of Origin: Wom, Lower Sepik River, Papua New Guinea

Date/Era: Circa 1963

Medium/Materials: Sago palm spathe, pigment, plant fiber

Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Kennedy.

Accession Number: X63.671

This painting with its unusual masked face formed part of the decorated interior of a clan ceremonial house. The construction of such a house and the public unveiling of its decorations constitute one of the most important ceremonial events in the communities of the Sepik River region. The painted decorations illustrate episodes drawn from the origin stories of the clan.

Source: Gallery text, Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives, 2006