Yam mask

While woven masks are associated with the Abelam male initiation cycle, the mask with the crest was not created for a human, but rather to adorn the head of a massive yam. These roots were competitively displayed and exchanged in a ceremonial cycle called waapi saaki. The tubers can grow up to twelve feet long and are treated as individuals with agency, their “bodies” decorated in the manner of young men undergoing initiation rites. The intricately woven panel that protrudes from the top of the mask is similar to those worn by initiates. Just as yams are enticed by men to grow out of the fertile soil with the help of secretive magic, charms, and ancestral power, young men emerge out of the korombo (ceremonial house) as full adults, now responsible for maintaining healthy relationships with their ancestors.