These are not properly witch doctor or wizard masks as they were sometimes called. The Pagu had no tradition of witch doctors as far as is known and the name is probably a deliberate misnomer for commercial purposes. They did not appear until towards the end of the nineteenth century and Schwartz makes no mention of them until his second field trip and then, unusual for him, he has very little to say about them. It should be noted that Nullenesia did not have a shamanic tradition at the time of contact. Similarly there was little evidence of seers, magicians, prognosticators, healers aside from herbalists, or any others with supernatural claims who might have been seen as witch doctors.
There are two theories about the origin of these masks. One is that they were produced to satisfy a market for "witch-doctor" masks among collectors, and they were certainly produced in great abundance before and around the turn of the Twentieth Century. This theory holds that the actual designs conform to what the carvers believed the market wanted. This would explain the fact that these masks are noticeably different from other Pagunan masks. They are typically much more angular and geometrical and lack the flowing, rounded lines of almost all the others. They were likely influenced by European styles. Some critics have claimed to detect art deco influences although this seems highly improbably. Certain details such as the recessed panels on the cheeks, chin and forehead are found nowhere else in Nullenesian art.
The other theory, which I feel is a bit far fetched, is that they were a device created by a secret anti-church, anti-colonial organization. They claim that the masks were only worn on certain occasions and that the identity of the wearer who conveyed subversive messages was never known. There are, however, no authenticated reports of the masks being worn during public performances, but this does not mean that they never were. It is also claimed that the reason Schwartz does not say much about these masks is because he was privy to their secret purpose. It is known that privately Schwartz held strong anti-clerical and anti-colonial views, and supported libertinage.
There are even suggestions, supported by his seemingly prurient interest in sexual matters, that he partook of some of their debaucheries. This theory sees the carvers as the heart of the subversive movement and the large scale production of these masks was used to finance their organization. They could do this with witchdoctor masks, which were a commercial innovation, without debasing the traditional Pagunan art and masks which they wanted to preserve and protect from commercial exploitation.
This particular example is probably fairly typical. It is known that a number of very similar ones were produced. Most, like this one, were ornamented with insets of mother of pearl or abalone, or as in this case with a piece of polished hardwood, cera, which was also used for jewelry and toilet articles like combs. The original of this one was destroyed in the bombing of Hamburg, however photographs and detailed coloured sketches were preserved in a gallery in Berlin.
