helmet masks

Description:

This dance headdress comes from the Torres Strait Islands, a group of more than 200 islands in the Torres Strait, which separates Australia and Papua New Guinea. Ceremonial dancing is an important part of Islander culture. Dances are preformed at festivals, celebrations, community events, weddings and historical occasions. Each clan has its own dances and costumes. The creation of costumes and masks for the dances are an important arts tradition in the Torres Strait. The Torres Strait Islanders continually adapt and incorporate change into their culture. New dances are created to mark important moments in Islanders’ history. This headdress was made for the Aeroplane Dance, which records the Islanders’ involvement in World War Two and the effect the war had on the islands. The headdress is made from metal petrol containers and wooden aeroplanes, which recall the Allied forces flying over the islands. The Torres Strait Islands were a strategic point for Australian defence and many Islanders enlisted in the armed forces. The Aeroplane Dance was performed on the Torres Strait Islands directly after the war. The dance was revived in 2003 when it was performed as part of an ANZAC Day ceremony (25 April) to commemorate the Australians and New Zealanders lost during wartime. The headdresses made by Islanders are part of a continuing tradition. Artists still make props for dances using modern materials such as plastic in a traditional method. The aeroplane headdress is displayed in the Centenary Gallery next to a crocodile headdress, collected in 1903, which was used for the Death Dance. The aeroplane headdress marks how the Torres Strait Islanders have incorporated new influences into a traditional practice. A metal helmet mask with a rubber strap, surmounted by a wooden aeroplane superstructure, which was used to recount stories or events dramatised in dances. The propellor is unattached.

Format:

image

Collections:

Horniman Museum and Gardens

Content partner:

Horniman Museum and Gardens

Availability:

Not specified