Show odd masks worn at festivals for dead one of the queer and interesting cus toms of the Melane dark skinned inhabitants of the south sea islands Is the festival in honor of their dead at their festivals masks of grotesque appearance play an important part says the detroit news A collection of puch masks has been made for the american museum of natural history one of them lesem bacs a crested helmet masks of this type it Is said must be carved in secret and presented to the public view only during the funeral cere the crest of the mask represents an earlier custom of of the na lives when they were in mourning in the early daya they shaded their heads on such occasions leaving only a sin gle ridge of hair one particular type has long wing like processes the face Is carved from wood and the fibrous parts of plants are used in working out the otner parts of the head with euch masks bark Is used as a covering for the deck maska from the art X at it ayta V aasby daira peninsula new britain are made from the facial bones of skulls the flesh Is removed and replaced by sticky lumps of earth |