IDNO

P.935.ACH1

Description

On Catalogue Card: “Dance of the Bomai-Malu, Mer (cinematograph) (VI, XXIX, I, 7).”

Place

Oceania Australasia; Australia; Torres Strait; Mer

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

August 1898

Collection Name

Mounted Haddon CollectionTorres Strait Island Expedition

Source

Haddon, Alfred Cort (Dr)

Format

Print Black & White Mounted

Primary Documentation

Other Information

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.

Context: Haddon mentions the occasion of this film in his journal (1898: 210) remarking “it was .. 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 + the film is spoiled ...”. The dance and filming took place at Kiam (VI: 306, ft. 1).

Related Collections: 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.

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]