Editing Mask (section)

===Oceania===
The variety and beauty of the masks of [[Melanesia]] are almost as highly developed as in Africa. It is a culture where [[ancestor worship]] is dominant and religious ceremonies are devoted to ancestors. Inevitably, many of the mask types relate to use in these ceremonies and are linked with the activities of secret societies. The mask is regarded as an instrument of revelation, giving form to the sacred. This is often accomplished by linking the mask to an ancestral presence, and thus bringing the past into the present.

As a culture of scattered islands and peninsulars, Melanesian mask forms have developed in a highly diversified fashion, with a great deal of variety in their construction and aesthetic.<ref>Lommel (1970), chapter: "Oceania: Melanesia, Polynesia, Australia".</ref> In Papua New Guinea, six-metre-high totem masks are placed to protect the living from spirits; whereas the ''[[duk-duk]]'' and ''tubuan'' masks of New Guinea are used to enforce social codes by intimidation. They are conical masks, made from cane and leaves.<ref>{{cite book | title = Where the Masks Still Dance: New Guinea | first1 = Chris | last1 = Rainier | first2 = Meg | last2 = Taylor | publisher = Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown & Co. | year = 1996 | isbn = 0-8212-2261-9}}</ref>