Tolai

The Tolai are an indigenous people primarily residing on the Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain, an island in Melanesia. They likely originated from southeastern New Ireland and share cultural and artistic similarities with that region.1

Tolai art is characterized by its focus on the human figure, often depicted standing with bent arms and hands near the ears. Their carved faces are naturalistic, sometimes featuring beards, while painted faces may be simplified to round eyes and a crescent-shaped mouth. Common artistic motifs include disks with triangles and spirals.1

Much of Tolai art was integrated into the rituals of two male secret societies: the Iniet and the Dukduk. The Dukduk society is known for its distinctive dukduk (male) and tubuan (female) masks, which are cone-shaped and made of cane and fiber. The tubuan mask features circular eyes and a crescent mouth.1