Ancestor board "gope" ·  Papua New Guinea - Golf, Kerewa · ID: 3032503

Description

wood, black and red paint, white pigment, lancet-shaped back, carved with the figure of a stylized ancestor spirit in flat relief, accentuation of the nose bridge, repeated circle motif, slightly dam., minor missing parts, traces of insect caused damage backside;
there are three types of ancestral tablets. Present one belongs to the type of personal “gope” boards “obina ebiha”, which are owned by individuals. These represent named ancestors and are stored in the communal Men’s House. Young boys have small “gope” boards which are unnamed and which hang on the walls of their homes. They are supposed to help the boys grow towards the time of adulthood. They loose their potency at initiation. The most important gope is the large “darimo ebiha”, of which one exists for each clan.

The object Ancestor board “gope” with the object ID 3032503 was last part of the auction 69th tribal art auction at June 2, 2012 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 21.

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Comparing literature

Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 117