New Ireland Malagan funerary statue in at the Metropolitan Museum of Art museum, New York, USA. New Ireland is part of the Bismarck Archipelago, situated north of New Guinea, and has an estimated population of 100,000. The Dutch first encountered the island in 1616, and today New Ireland is a province of Papua New Guinea. Nineteen different languages are spoken on the island, and it is divided by a chain of mountains into three distinct regions: northern, central, and southeastern. The art of New Ireland traditionally centered on mortuary ceremonies and feasts to honor the dead. In northern New Ireland, the name given to these elaborate ceremonies is malagan, which is also the term used for the carved and painted sculptures associated with the ceremonies.

new york new iraland malagan funeray funeral funerary carving papua nuew guinea papua carving statue carvings moma museum met metropolitan met museum metropolitan museum 20th century archival archive gong historical history island malekua malekula melanesia melanesian oceania pacific pacific ocean papua new guinea slit small tribe vanuatu wooden ambrym island anthropology arts culture and entertainment carved colour image cultures day drum slit drums forest full length gongs green human representation indigenous culture lush malampa province male likeness man made object nakamal nature new hebrides no people olal outdoors pacific islands percussion instrument photography rainforest sculpture south pacific statue tam tam tourism tranquility travel destinations trees tribal tribal art tribe