Papua New Guinean Asaro People Masked Figure: "Mud Man"

This is a Papua New Guinean figure called a Mud Man. The legend of the Mud Men comes from the Asaro People of Goroka province. The inhabitants of the Asaro River area are famous for their frightening headdresses. The headdresses are used in dance performances to celebrate the peoples' customs.

The legend is that a man had nothing to wear to a wedding, so he took a billum, the word for bag in Papua New Guinea, cut out eye holes and covered the bag in the pale mud of the region to make a mask. He covered his body in the same pale mud. When he arrived at the wedding, everyone ran away in fear, thinking he was a ghost.

Observing this response, he and his cousins got the idea to dress as "Mud Men" to defend their lands from an opposing tribe. They all made masks of billums and covered themselves in pale mud. When they challenged the other tribe, the other tribe ran without shooting one arrow because they were frightened by what they called an "army of ghosts."

The Mud Men are an important part of cultural celebrations now.
Source:
https://australian.museum/learn/cultures/pacific-collection/asaro-collection/
Caroline O'Brien, donor