Cult hook mask "garra" · Papua New Guinea - Hunstein Mountains, Bahinemo · ID: 3046191
John Giltsoff, Girona, Spain
Description
wood, colour pigments, base
The designation “garra” refers to sacred items connected with the male cults. The Bahinemo keep their carvings hanging in men’s cult houses, where the older pieces are believed to have magical powers to protect the villagers. Their powers can be obtained for hunting and fighting by means of certain rituals.
The hooks are seen as stylized hornbill beaks which aside of their decorative effect have a symbolic meaning. Throughout South-East Asia, the Great Hornbill is related to the soul, the ancestor and the spirit world.
The object Cult hook mask “garra” with the object ID 3046191 was last part of the auction 93rd Tribal Art Auction at November 16, 2019 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 76 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,000.
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Comparing literature
Craig, Barry (ed.), Living spirits with fixed abodes, Honolulu 2010, p. 153