Bullroarer "kaiaimunu" · Papua New Guinea - Gulf · ID: 3039296
John Friede, Rye, USA
Ulrich Kortmann, Dortmund, Germany
Description
wood, brown patina, min. pigment remains, flat and lancet-shaped in form with drilled hole on the upper rim, carved with the stylized face of an ancestor spirit in the upper third, minor missing parts, abrasion of paint, old age patina, base;
only the small specimens, mostly without decorations, are actually swung to make the characteristic sound. The majority of larger specimens are the “mothers” of the small ones. They are very powerful. The older a bullroarer, the more it possesses magical power (“imunu”) of the highest quality. They can be handled only by some old men in secrecy and never are taken out from the ceremonial longhouse
The object Bullroarer “kaiaimunu” with the object ID 3039296 was last part of the auction 81st Tribal Art Auction at October 31, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 73.
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Comparing literature
Newton, Douglas et. al., Collecting New Guinea Art, o.O. 2013, p. 187