Canoe prow ornament ·  Papua New Guinea, Iatmul · ID: 3051758

Description

wood, sago palm bark, palm wood, rattan, cassowary feathers, pigments, cowries, brittle due to age

The Iatmul attached such ornaments vertically to the prow of their large war canoes when they went on a campaign. The warriors were distributed among the canoes according to clan affiliation. Accordingly, the mask face on the attachment represents a clan-specific “wagen” spirit.

Otto Reche reports that these decorative shields were already mentioned in the records of the 1886 expedition. The large, grimacing painted shields were intended to frighten enemies from afar.

Comparing literature

Greub, Suzanne (ed.), Kunst am Sepik, Basel 1985, ill. 73 Reche, Otto, Der Kaiserin-Augusta-Fluss, Hamburg 1913, p. 290 ff.