Papua New Guinean Abelam People Ancestor Mask: "Nggwal" Mask Model

This Papua New Guinean mask comes from the Abelam people living in the village of Kaminabit in the Sepik River region. The mask's base is a turtle shell, covered with woven plant fiber.

The Abelam link their spiritual well-being and material survival to the harvest of their staple vegetable crop: yams. At harvest, they use masks to decorate large yams which can grow to between six and nine feet long. The decorated yams are displayed publicly and are exchanged between men.

When decorated, the yams represent ancestral spirits called "nggwal." Nggwal do not act by themselves but must be encouraged with offerings, chants, and decorations. The decorations used on long yams like this include masks, shell valuables, feathers, and paint. This mask was made to decorate a long yam, and to enable it to embody a nggwal spirit.
Source:
https://smarthistory.org/gwaikwavi-wakaniambi-yam-mask-or-bapamini/