Male ancestor figure "kawe" · West New Guinea / West Papua (Irian Jaya), Asmat · ID: 3053131
Jan Visser, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Description
wood, pigments, plant fibres, base
This ancestral figure from the central Asmat region holds its penis with both hands - a rare but significant representation in Asmat sculpture. Usually, “kawe” figures hold a human skull or, alternatively, a nautilus shell, symbols of death, initiation and ancestral presence.
The hand position chosen here refers directly to masculinity, procreative power and fertility and is closely related to initiation rites and the transmission of life force. In connection with the function of the “kawe” as the embodiment of the deceased and as a link between the living, the ancestors and the land, this motif emphasises the cyclical connection between death, renewal and nourishment.
The ritual practice of leaving the figures in the sago plantations after ceremonies, where they rotted and transferred their spiritual power to the plants, reinforces this interpretation of fertility and regeneration.
Publications
Dehaene, Frédéric (ed.), Asmat Art, The van der Hoeven Collection, Brussels 2009, ill. 9 & cover