These are Baining Fire Dance masks form New Britain in the great Hall of the Overseas Museum in Bremen. New Britain, or Niu Briten, is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago (named after Otto von Bismarck) of Papua New Guinea. New Britain and the nearby New Ireland are so named because their outlines on a map roughly correspond to those of the British Isles. When the island was part of German New Guinea, it was named Neupommern (New Pomerania). On 11 September 1914, New Britain became the site of one of the earliest battles of World War I when the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force landed on the island. They quickly overwhelmed the German forces and German New Guinea became the Australian Territory of New Guinea. During World War II the Japanese captured New Britain very early on. It was used as the key point for the failed invasion of Port Moresby. New Britain was invaded by the U.S. 1st Marine Division in the Cape Gloucester area which, with its swamps and mosquitos, the Marines said that it was worse than Guadalcanal. The Rabaul air and naval base was abandoned by the Japanese in August 1945. The indigenous people of New Britain fall into two main groups: the Papuans, who have inhabited the island for tens of thousands of years, and the Austronesians, who arrived around two thousand years ago. The Baining people are among the earliest and original inhabitants of the Gazelle area of East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, where they are thought to have been driven to by the Tolai tribes who migrated to the coastal areas in comparatively recent times. Another factor that may have driven them away from the coastal areas to the mountainous interior was major volcanic activity that took place over centuries. (As recently as 1994, the nearby town of Rabaul was almost completely destroyed by two volcanoes, Tavurvur and Vulcan). The Baining are somewhat of an oddity amongst Melanesian cultures because they create art forms that have a very ephemeral existence. The masks you see in the picture are laboriously made from bark cloth, bamboo and leaves and used just once for the firedance ceremony before being thrown away or destroyed. The origin of these firedance ceremonies was to celebrate the birth of new children; the commencement of harvests and also a way of remembering the dead. The Baining firedance is also a rite of passage for initiating young men into adulthood. The fire dance is a totally male event and traditionally the Baining women and children do not take part in it or even watch it. The "fire dance" can be performed on the day after a day dance or performed alone. Preparations are secret from outsiders. No women are allowed near the mask makers, but they contribute to the food and are important organizers of the Asarai day dances. The second most important and exciting part of the Baining Fire Dance is when dancers dance with large python snakes, particularly when young males are initiated into the secret male society of Tubuan. After the Baining Fire Dance, the male whose son has been initiated into the secret male Tubuan society will present the snakes to his sister. A day after the dance and initiation ceremony, the snakes will be roasted and eaten. Huge bundles of firewood are collected and stacked in the dance area. Both men and women practice songs and dances all night the day before the dance. Of varying sizes and styles, the masks are painted using colours created from special bush materials and plants and are said to represent the spirits of plants and animals. The black and red pigments are paired with each other, and are associated with maleness (red) and femaleness (black). Night dances were originally concerned with male activities and associations but, more recently are used in modern ceremonies such as the celebration of Papua New Guinea’s Independence Day. More recently Baining dances and ceremonies, including the Fire Dance, are performed for tourists. Thanks for your kind comments.