Cult hook figure "yipwon" or "kamanggabi" ·  Papua New Guinea - Korewori / Blackwater, Yimam / Alamblak · ID: 3046475

Description

wood, pigments, base

Amongst the Yimam and Alamblak people, “yipwon” are the major war and hunting deities. “Yipwon” are carved in a wide range of sizes, from about fifteen centimeters up to three meters high.

Intermediate size figures, like the present one, were sometimes taken on raids in the hope that the spirit of the “yipwon” would go ahead of the group and attack the enemy with its magical powers.

The object Cult hook figure “yipwon” or “kamanggabi” with the object ID 3046475 was last part of the auction 94th Tribal Art Auction at March 7, 2020 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 3 achieved a sales price of EUR 900.

You can find more Figures and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on Oceanian art.

Comparing literature

Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, p. 234