Bena Bena, Eastern Highlands, PNG.

In early contact times gourd masks, used in rituals where they depicted various spirits of the mountains and bush, were found across the Highland regions. However, they ceased to be made soon after and by the late 1960s had all but disappeared as missionary activity expanded. This mask was collected in the 1970s near Goroka, but probably dates back to the 1950s/1960s.