Ceremonial Fence Element

Unknown

late 19th–early 20th century · Wood, paint, shell · Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Although few examples still stand today, in former times the villages of the Iatmul people typically had three men’s ceremonial houses set on the village dancing ground. At either end of each one, the Iatmul constructed a raised earthen mound, which was planted with totemic trees and plants. In some rituals, the ceremonial house was likened metaphorically to a canoe floating on the river, which was “moored” by tying it to a tree growing on the mound. In some instances, the mound was enclosed by a wood fence whose components included post-like wood images portraying the brightly painted heads or busts of ancestral spirits. The ancestor on view here is wearing elements of ceremonial finery. The geometric patterns on the head resemble the face-paint patterns worn by the Iatmul on important occasions. The chest is adorned with a series of crescent-shaped elements representing pearl-shell ornaments.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 19th–early 20th century

Medium

Wood, paint, shell

Culture

Iatmul people

Department

Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas

Credit line

The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1969