Ancestor figure "kawe" ·  Westneuguinea / Westpapua (Irian Jaya), Asmat · ID: 3035272

Description

light wood, remains of black, red and white pigment, squatting male figure which shows the bearing of a praying mantis (“wenet-motif”), rising from a conical base with incised curvilinear ornaments (cut), incised scarifications on the back and on the arms, collection number “ET 67-0” (?), slightly dam., minor missing parts (head), paint rubbed off, on plate;
the so-called “wenet” motif can be looked upon as the symbol for head hunting par excellence, because the female of that kind of insects bites off the males head after copulation took place. It is used for decorating various objects throughout the whole Asmat region. Present object originally could have been the tip of a canoe prow with an ancestor figure “kawe” as protective spirit.

Comparing literature

Helfrich, Klaus u.a., Asmat, Berlin 1996, p. 186