Original artwork – acrylic on canvas ready to hang. 51cm wide x 61cm tall. $390.
Unmarried young Huli tribesmen are prepared for adulthood by being kept away from their mothers and other women for a period of time from one to three years where they attend a school for bachelors. Here they are taught about the ritual and biological process of masculinisation. During this time it is believed that sexual contact would cause them to lose their male essence.
A restricted diet and special magic help transform a boy into an adult and speed up his hair growth. The cult expert guides the boy to pick out his hair and then splash it with ritual water until the hair grows long enough for a circular bamboo band to shape into what looks like a mushroom.
This is eventually replaced with an oblong band, creating an effect similar to a toreador’s cap. The boy is kept from his hair getting squashed by a headrest throughout this time. The entire coif is cut close to the scalp after 18 months. This allows for the creation of the Huli ceremonial hair wig which is then encased with red ochre and superb bird of paradise feathers.
Before tribal celebrations Huli men spend hours getting prepared, dressing up to wear their great wigs with feathers and decorating their faces with bright yellow and red paint – intended to convey a dazzling impression to all onlookers.