Overmodelled ancestor skull, before 1920 · Papua New Guinea, Iatmul, Kambringi · ID: 3039295
Frank Reiter, Berlin, Germany (im Tausch erworben 1976)
Ulrich Kortmann, Dortmund, Germany
German Private Collection
Description
human (male) skull, the lower jaw remodelled from wood, apart from the back of the head entirely overmodelled with a mass consisting of red clay, vegetable binder (tigasso oil, latex from rubber tree) and lime, above all the nose with pierced septum formed quite naturalistic, cowrie shell eyes, kind of headband from mass with inserted coix seeds, coiffure from human hair, with clay twirled to long strands, the overmodelled part of the skull dyed with red ochre, inscribed lateral: “Me 12831 D.- Neuguinea Sepik Martens 395”, slightly dam., some coix seeds missing;
by overmodeling the ancestor skull the spirit and life force of the deceased shall find its way back to the head and provide helpful support to the present generation in future. The ancestor skulls were displayed on special skull racks in the men house, where women and children have no right of access. Just on the occasion of festivals for the dead they were abundantly adorned and carried around in public.