IDNO

P.934.ACH1

Description

On Catalogue Card: “Dance of the Bomai-Malu, Mer (cinematograph) (VI, XXIX, 1).”

Still image from cinematograph film of the three phases of the Ceremonial Dance of the Bomai-Malu zogo-le. The Zogo-le, referring to the men allowed to wear the sacred masks, wears the mask that was made for Haddon using cardboard. The man is man dancing in a clearing in the forest, his arms are held out in front of him with hands at right angles to his body. He is wearing a thick skirt of leaves and has a large mask on his head. [Jude Philp 25/5/1999, updated JD 30/5/2011, description from record N.23193.ACH1, JD 13/03/2020]

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Torres Strait; Mer; Kiam

Cultural Affliation

Torres Strait Islander

Named Person

Wano; Enocha

Photographer

None

Collector / Expedition

Haddon, Alfred Cort [Cambridge University Anthropological Expedition to the Torres Straits, 1898 - 1899]

Date

2 - 8 September 1898

Collection Name

Mounted Haddon CollectionTorres Strait Island Expedition

Source

Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

Related Archive: Haddon writes in his 1898 journal: “On Thursday September 1st we saw a sail a long way off. On the following day we found it was the Nieue. Shortly after she anchored, a cutter came in from Thursday Island with some stores and a mail, so we had plenty to think about and arrange. It was evident from Chalmers’ letter and other matters that we would have to leave by the Nieue so we provisionally decided to go in her to Daru...
"Captain Bob of the Niue was most accommodating and did not hurry us. I was very glad of this at the last as some rather important things turned up at the last and which we wanted to see to and the packing took longer than we anticipated. For example, some Australian natives came in a bêche de mer boat and I wanted to get a cinematograph of their dancing, and it was also only just at the last that we could get part of the Malu ceremony danced with the masks that had been made for me, but the dance was worth waiting for. I tried to cinematograph it, but as has often happened the machine jams and the film is spoiled.28 I am afraid this part of my outfit will prove a failure and the colour-photography is I fear at present, of little practical value.29 I have had many disappointments on this expedition perhaps I was too sanguine.
Thursday [8th] left Murray Island at 10 A.M. to the great regret of some of us." (pp.210-211) [JD 12/03/2020]

Publication: A similar image is printed in Reports VI: XXIX fig. 1 with the caption: “Three phases of the Ceremonial Dance of the Bomai-Malu zogo-le (pp. 306-7)”. Zogo-le refers to the men allowed to wear the sacred masks.
The dance and filming took place at Kiam (VI: 306, ft. 1). [Jude Philp 25/5/1999]

MAA Exhibition: Same image, paired with P.936.ACH1 and P.937.ACH1, included in 1920s Exhibition Case Binders "Cases 5-10. Torres Strait." (OA2/16/4) with the following information: "39, 40, 41. These are cinematograph photographs of the procession of the zogo le taken by A. C. Haddon in 1898.
It was necessarily a revival as the old ceremony had been obsolete for many years. The zogo le wore imitation masks (case 6) as the originals had been destroyed, but otherwise the performances was substantially accurate.
The Bomai-Malu ceremony were awe-inspiring and made a profound religious impression not only on the novices but on all engaged in them, the effect of which was lasting. Belief in the sanctity of the cult and the cult objects persisted long after the people became Christianized.
For Nos. 38-42 see Vol. VI, pp. 281-312." [JD 14/09/2021]

Related Object: The mask worn in this image was made for Haddon by Wano and Enocha of Mer, a description can be found in Headhunters 1901:46 and Reports VI: 289. It is now part of the UCMAA collection (Z9440), see also N.22926.ACH2.

Related images [bold indicates photographs in this sequence]: P.933.ACH1; P.934.ACH1; P.935.ACH1; P.936.ACH1; P.937.ACH1; P.938.ACH1; P.940.ACH1; P.941.ACH1; P.942.ACH1; P.943.ACH1; P.944.ACH1; P.945.ACH1; P.946.ACH1; P.947.ACH1; P.948.ACH1; P.949.ACH1; P.950.ACH1. [Jude Philp 25/5/1999]

Publication: Image published in 'Recording Kastom: Alfred Haddon’s Journals from his Expeditions to the Torres Strait and New Guinea, 1888–89, 1898–99', Edited by Anita Herle and Jude Philp (Sydney University Press), Fig 7.18, and captioned: "Reenactment of the climax of the Malu Bomai ceremony when the masks are show to the initiates. Photograph of a frame from the cine film, with details of the Bomai mask and dancer’s costume drawn in. Mer, September 1898. MAA P.46811." [JD 13/03/2020]

Named Person: Wano and Enocha made the models of the masks shown in this photo. They are not in the photo. [Anita Herle 21/07/2019]