Bullroarer "kaiaimunu" ·  Papua New Guinea - Gulf · ID: 3039296

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

Comparing literature

Newton, Douglas et. al., Collecting New Guinea Art, o.O. 2013, p. 187