Bark cloth stretches across a bamboo frame to form the surface of this kavat (mask) from New Britain, a large island region of Papua New Guinea. Works like this were created and worn by male Baining artists during nighttime performances that celebrated the spirits, animals, and commodities associated with the forest. After a single performance, the spirits who temporarily inhabited these masks were thought to die and leave the masks. These masks were then destroyed, discarded, or sold, and the bark cloth, which was removed from the mask prior to its destruction, was distributed among the community. The rounded form of this kavat suggests it once served as the temporary home for a leaf spirit.