In this showcase hang many cultural artefacts from the islands to the east of the main island of New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world, with over 850 listed languages. Colonisation and modern development have led to the waning of many cultural practices, but ceremonial traditions are sometimes preserved in performances for visitors.

Two sacred hats or upes from Papua New Guinea’s Buku Island are woven from the leaves of the pandanus tree. They are traditionally worn by adolescent boys in Bougainville to protect their growing hair throughout their long initiation.

When the boys are 10 years old they go into a secluded part of the forest to learn the skills and knowledge they will need when they reach manhood. Contact with females, including their mothers and sisters, is forbidden. It’s believed that breaking these taboos will bring curses, sickness and death.

To the right of the upe hats is an example of a mendaska mask from the Uramot people of New Britain. Possibly the most visually stunning of all Melanesian art, these barkcloth masks represent the spirits of leaves, trees, animals and insects and are traditionally worn during harvest time in ceremonial dances that last all day and night.

This style of mask is worn during daytime ceremonies associated with female fertility, mourning and important community events. It is made from the bark of the breadfruit tree, which is soaked in water, beaten, dried and then painted. Once a mendaska mask has served its ritual purpose, it is usually destroyed or left to decay.

Below the mask sits a chalk figurine from southern New Ireland called a Kulap. This double-headed kulap is believed to represent a married couple. During certain initiations, boys and girls were assigned a kulap effigy and received its name. Other kulap were used as funeral effigies for mourning the dead. When a family member died, a male relative journeyed to the mountains to acquire stone which he brought to a sculptor. The carved figurine was then housed in a shrine during the mourning period, after which it was destroyed.