Baining fire dance
E1037553
The Baining fire dance is a dramatic nocturnal ritual from Papua New Guinea in which masked performers leap through blazing fires to mark initiations, harvests, and other key social events.
Statements (54)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
intangible cultural heritage
ⓘ
ritual dance ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
community festivals
ⓘ
harvest celebrations ⓘ initiation ceremonies ⓘ mortuary rites ⓘ |
| audience |
local community
ⓘ
visitors ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Papua New Guinea NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| culturalFunction |
affirming group identity
ⓘ
marking life‑cycle transitions ⓘ ritual communication with spirits ⓘ social cohesion ⓘ |
| documentedBy | anthropologists ⓘ |
| ethnicGroup | Baining people NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasVisualAspect |
brightly glowing firelight
ⓘ
geometric mask designs ⓘ towering white masks ⓘ |
| island | New Britain NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| keyFeature |
dramatic choreography
ⓘ
large bonfires ⓘ leaping through fire ⓘ masked performers ⓘ |
| notableScholar | Jane Fajans NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| occasion |
harvest festival
ⓘ
male initiation ⓘ memorial ceremony ⓘ public celebrations ⓘ |
| participants |
initiated men
ⓘ
novices ⓘ |
| performanceElement |
chanting
ⓘ
choral singing ⓘ drumming ⓘ rhythmic stamping ⓘ |
| performedAtTimeOfDay | night ⓘ |
| performingArtsForm | dance ⓘ |
| region | East New Britain Province NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| religiousContext |
Baining cosmology
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
ancestor veneration ⓘ |
| riskAspect |
direct contact with flames
ⓘ
jumping over burning logs ⓘ running through embers ⓘ |
| soundscape |
intense drum rhythms
ⓘ
shouts and cries of dancers ⓘ |
| symbolism |
fertility and abundance
ⓘ
mastery over fire ⓘ relationship between humans and spirits ⓘ transition to adulthood ⓘ |
| transmission |
apprenticeship
ⓘ
oral tradition ⓘ |
| uses |
barkcloth masks
ⓘ
body paint ⓘ elaborate masks ⓘ headdresses ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.