Author Question: Consider these works: Duk duk maskers, Papua New Guinea; ritual mask, Aztec; and hide painted with ... (Read 59 times)

folubunmi · **on:** Jun 23, 2018

Consider these works: Duk duk maskers, Papua New Guinea; ritual mask, Aztec; and hide painted with scenes of warfare, Lakota. Identify the purpose for which each was created. Discuss briefly how each functioned to express the beliefs of its culture.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Compare and contrast the uses of masks in the Americas with that in Africa, making reference to specific works to support your statements.

What will be an ideal response?

Ksanderson1296 · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

In the Tolai culture of the Melanesia islands, duk duk are male spirits, danced by maskers, who punish lawbreakers at the bidding of the community's leaders. Aztec masks were mosaics of turquoise, painstakingly applied in minute squares that followed every curve of the face. Pearl shells served for teeth and eyes. Such masks were worn in one of the numerous ceremonies of song and dance that were central to Aztec life. In the North American Lakota Indian culture, buffalo hides provided a surface on which Plains men recorded their exploits as warriors with painted images of battle scenes.

Answer to Question 2

Responses will vary depending the selection of works. Perhaps the greatest African art of spiritual agency is the masquerade, which doesn't contact spirit powers to effect change but brings the spirits into the community. Masks were employed in a performance aspect of the event and used to materialize spiritual beings. For the Tolai people of New Britain on the islands of Melanesia, masks and masquerades played important roles in their cultures. Their masks represented male and female spirits that are able to punish lawbreakers at the bidding of the community's leaders.