Malagan: Ancestry and connection to the territory

Malagan holds a central place in the social and cultural life of communities in northern New Ireland Province. Although it is known in other parts of Papua New Guinea and internationally, particularly for its ceremonial carvings and masks, malagan encompasses a much broader set of relationships between clans, connected to the memory of ancestors, obligations between families, the circulation of goods, and the transmission of knowledge.
During the periods I have worked in New Ireland, malagan has appeared in different ways in conversations, stories, and activities in villages and schools. In the projects that led to the production of community books with the Nalik, Nochi, and Kun peoples, for example, references to malagan-related ceremonies, dances, and narratives emerged among the forms of knowledge that community members themselves considered important to document and pass on.

Malagan carving from the collection of the Übersee-Museum in Bremen, Germany (Photo: da Silva, 2015)

When Clans Come Together

Malagan ceremonies are associated with death and the remembrance of community members and may take place long after a person has died. Preparations can extend over months or even years, bringing together families and clans, as well as relatives who travel from other villages, islands, provinces, and sometimes other countries.
By taking part in different malagan ceremonies, I was able to follow parts of this process and observe how different dimensions of community life come together within a single ceremony. The preparation and distribution of food, speeches, exchanges, songs, and dances take place alongside the remembering and reaffirming of relationships and obligations between families and clans.
Clans occupy a central place in this process. In New Ireland, descent and belonging are organized along matrilineal lines and involve rights and responsibilities related to land, marriage, exchanges, and ceremonial obligations. Thus, although death is connected to the holding of a malagan, the ceremony also reaffirms relationships among those who remain and the generations yet to come.

Malagan ceremony held near Kavieng (Photo: da Silva, 2019)

A group of maimai during a malagan ceremony in the Nochi village of Tandis, New Ireland Province. Maimai is the term used for traditional clan leaders, who hold positions of authority and assume important responsibilities in the social and ceremonial life of their communities. During occasions such as malagan, maimai can also be recognized by elements of their bilas. Among these is the kapkap, a traditional ornament worn as a necklace and usually resting on the chest, as can be seen on some of the men in this photograph. (Photo: da Silva, 2023)

Women performing a dance during a malagan ceremony in the Nochi village of Tandis. Leaves, flowers, and other plant materials are part of the adornments worn during the performance. (Photo: da Silva, 2023).

During the malagan ceremonies I attended, some of the expressions that most caught my attention were the dances and the way they bring people together around the ceremony. Among them are La Maani, which I observed among the Nalik, and Nit, among the Nochi and Kun. These are moments when masks, bilas (traditional formal wear), and songs come together with the rhythms of the garamut slit drum and the movements of the dancers, to the enjoyment of those gathered to watch the performance.

Malagan in Motion

La Maani: Birds and Nalik Culture

La Maani, an expression in Nalik that can be understood as “on the bird” or “with the bird,” is a ceremonial dance performed during some malagans. For the performance, a special platform is built where the dancers perform to the rhythm of the garamut, a percussion instrument made from a wooden log and played by striking it with a long wooden stick.
The dancers wear bilas—the Tok Pisin term for adornments—made from coconut husk fibres and dyed with turmeric root. During the performance, they make movements that resemble those of birds and hold small carved wooden beaks in their mouths, known in Nalik as a mun faat maani (a vaat maani in the singular). According to Nalik elders I spoke with, the continuity of La Maani is under threat. Its performance depends on knowledge that extends beyond the dance itself, including the preparation of the bilas, the carving of the objects used in the performance, and knowledge associated with different ritual stages. Today, only a few people still hold some of this knowledge.

Getting Ready for a La Maani Performance
Some of the bilas worn by the dancers are made from coconut husk fibres and coloured yellow using turmeric root. As part of the preparation, the root is chewed and the liquid released is spat directly onto the fibres, gradually dyeing them the distinctive yellow seen in the photographs.
The dancers also use small carved and painted wooden beaks (a vaat maani), one of which can be seen in the first photograph. During the performance, the dancers hold these beaks in their mouths as they move, with many of their movements resembling those of birds. (Photos: da Silva, 2023)

The Rhythm of the Garamut
The garamut is a traditional percussion instrument made from a hollowed-out wooden log and played with wooden sticks. During malagan and other local ceremonies, its sound accompanies songs and dances and helps set the rhythm of the performances. In this photograph, two men play the garamut during a malagan ceremony. (Photo: da Silva, 2023)

Nit, as it is called in the Nochi language, or Tatanua in Tok Pisin, is one of the dances performed during malagan ceremonies and is particularly known for the distinctive masks worn by the dancers. Older examples of similar masks can now be found in the collections of various European museums, many of them acquired during the colonial period.

At the malagan ceremonies I attended, Nit performances often drew large groups of people around the dancing area to watch the dancers, their movements, and their colourful bilas, accompanied by songs and the rhythm of the garamut drum.

Dancers performing La Maani in New Ireland Province (Photo: da Silva, 2023)

Nit: The Mask in Motion

Nineteenth century Nit mask from the collection of the Übersee-Museum in Bremen, Germany (Photo: da Silva, 2024)

Dancers performing Nit in the Nochi village of Tandis, New Ireland Province (Photo: da Silva, 2023)

Cláudio da Silva
Research, Education, and Lived Experiences in Papua New Guinea

claudio@clausilva.eu

© 2026 Cláudio da Silva