This hand carved wooden mask comes from the beautiful island of Sumba in Indonesia, featuring some of the islands traditional carving motifs.
Topeng means mask in Indonesian.
People in Indonesia have been using masks since ancient times,
for harvest festivals, fertility rites, soul catching, death ceremonies and spiritual dances, initiation rites and exorcism rituals.
They are believed to scare off evil spirits and sickness
as well as protecting from natural disasters like drought and floods.