M0012654: Kovave bark mask, New Guinea. / M0012655: Ceremonial shield, New Guinea

Previous title, replaced August 2022: Bark mask , New Guinea./Previous title, replaced August 2022: Ceremonial sheild, New Guinea

Photograph of a Kovave bark mask, used in initiation ceremonies of the Elema people of the Papuan Gulf, New Guinea, alongside a wooden ceremonial shield representing a stylized version of the human form from New Guinea, as on display in the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum. These items were accessioned by the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum (R8295/1936, 29/1952) but are not held by Wellcome Collection. This photograph was included in the catalogue for a Wellcome Historical Medical Museum Exhibition illustrating the medicine of the aboriginal peoples in the British Commonwealth, London, 1952.

August 1952

1 photograph glass plate negative; 12 x 16.5 cm

Wellcome Collection holds the accession register for one of the items depicted in the glass plate negative: R29/1952

Copyright is held by Wellcome Collection

Catalogue data comes from a combination of entries in the original glass plate registers, metadata created when the glass plates were digitised in the early 2000s and enhancements made by the cataloguer in 2022.

This item is fragile. Email library@wellcomecollection.org to request access to the physical item.