Replacement skull "kus" ·  Papua New Guinea - Sepik · ID: 3041923

Description

wood, black and white pigment, reproducing an overmodelled skull, eyes with mother-of-pearl inlay, slightly dam., minor missing parts (right ear), traces of insect caused damage backside, crack, paint rubbed off;
when a trophy skull was lost or destroyed, a wooden head called “kus” was carved to replace it. In later years after head-hunting was banned by the authorities, wooden heads were used at initiation ceremonies in place of real and “freshly hunted” ones. The young initiate had to kill an enemy and “take” the head before entering the adult world.

Comparing literature

Meyer, Anthony J.P., Ozeanische Kunst, Vol. I, Köln 1995, ill. 65