Singsing Tumbuan

Singsing Tumbuan, or Mask dance, is a rare ceremonial event characteristic of the Lower Ramu River cultural area of Papua New Guinea. In early 1989, the Big Men of Birap Village decided to hold a singsing at the start of the dry season of the following year, to end the mourning period for three deceased village elders. Several months prior to the date set for the event, the process of preparation begins. An enclosure is erected hiding the activities in the Men’s house from sight, the sacred flutes are brought in from the bush, and the construction of the Masks begins. Meanwhile, daily subsistence activities continue in the community, in accelerated pace as the feast approaches. With a commentary by the chief Roma Romanus, the film shows how the festival contributes to village’s social cohesion and adds spice to an otherwise humdrum and laborious existence. This film is also intended for posterity, as the ceremony may not survive for much longer.