Malagan ceremony for Nguts Joel Petsia,

September 2006, Tabar, New Ireland.

For the westerners, Malagans are dramatic and beautiful works of art associated to complex ceremonies related to the deads. In their traditional use, malagan sculptures carried meaning in the moment of their creation and display to pay tributes to the deads in New Ireland, Papua New Guinea.

In the coming month we will enrich the website with more information about New Ireland, Malagan and this ceremony.

At dawn, Ges appear on the reef, and march towards the village

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Ges are cleaning the area, chasing away the roaming spirits of the deads.

Then, the most important mask will "open the place", to mark the begining of the ceremony

One pig has been sacrificed for each Malagan displayed in the enclosure, on the Malagan house.

Final step of the ceremony is the dance of the Tatanua masks, shortly before sharing the pig meat to repay old debts, and contract new obligations that will be fulfilled in a ceremony to come.

This is New Irleand, Tabar, 2006