Ancestor board "gope" ·  Papua New Guinea - Gulf · ID: 3032504

Description

wood, reddish brown patina, black paint, white pigment, lancet-shaped, slightly vaulted, carved with two stylized mask faces in raised contours, slightly dam., paint rubbed off;
there are 3 types of ancestral tablets. Present one belongs to the type of personal “gope” boards “obina ebiha”, which are owned by individuals. They 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 importand gope is the large “darimo ebiha”, of which one exists for each clan.