Replacement skull "kus" · Westneuguinea / Westpapua (Irian Jaya), Asmat · ID: 3043046
not available anymore
Size
H: 20 cm
H: 7.9 inch
Description
wood, matt patina, dominated by a big mouth with blackened teeth, min. dam., cracks, slight traces of abrasion, base.
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.
Comparing literature
Konrad, Gunter & Ursula, u.a., Asmat, Glashütten 1981, p. 104