Gallery Label
The lor, or skull masks of New Britain’s Gazelle Peninsula were made by the Tolai People from the region’s available materials. The lor were made as masks or were human skulls decorated and attached to sticks. Made from a wooden board, this lor was once painted blue and has an attached beard and round brimmed hat. The face board is attached to a helmet-shaped frame, which allows the mask to be placed firmly on the wearer’s head. The design of the mask bears no apparent attempt to depict the characteristics of an actual individual.

This mask was produced in association with the Tolai iniet society, which held secret initiation rites and produced corresponding dance accessories such as masks. However, the use of this mask had died out by the nineteenth century, before the time of contact with the West. The use of lor had become limited in New Britain, and the specific spirits that they represented, as well as the original use of the mask, were forgotten. This was before missionary influence, and the practice has not been revived, nor could it without the cultural knowledge of the purpose of the lor.