Center piece of a gable wall of a ritual house "korombu" ·  Papua New Guinea, Abelam · ID: 3038788

Description

pieces from sago leaf sheath, smoothed and grounded with clay sludge, painted in traditional colours: red and yellow ochre, black and white pigment, depicting three stilized figures representing important mythical ancestors “ngwalndu”, originally the single pieces were tied together by plant fibre and attached to a bamboo frame, at present the singular pieces are combined by thin wire and attached to a wooden frame with a chicken wire covering, slightly dam., abrasion of paint in some areas;
the ground plan of ceremonial houses is triangular as well as their majestic tympanum on the front and both roof sides. They always take in a central position within the village compound. Brigitta von Hauser-Schäublin calls them the “cathedrals of the stone age”. Thereby she acknowledges the outstanding merit of primitive people to erect their unique buildings solely from plant material. The ceremonial houses were built for ritual purposes, primarily for the initiation of men. For this purpose magnificent scenes from paintings and carvings were staged on the inside. Aside from inauguration feasts for new buildings, the ritual houses are taboo for women.

Comparing literature

Lippisches Landesmuseum Detmold (Hg.), Abelam, Detmold 1989, p. 16 Koch, Gerd, Kultur der Abelam, Berlin 1968, p. 19 ff.