Roof ridge finial of a chief’s house ·  New Caledonia, Kanak · ID: 3052615

Description

wood, pigments, plant fibre, base

The Kanak peoples of New Caledonia were ruled by hereditary chiefs, who held secular authority and embodied the supernatural power of village ancestors.

Chief’s houses (“grande case”) formed the physical and metaphysical centers of Kanak villages. The houses of the tribal chiefs formed the physical and metaphysical center of a Kanak village. Their tall, conical roofs were adorned with carved ridge sculptures that represented ancestors and other supernatural beings, serving a protective function.

Comparing literature

Musée du Quai Branly (ed.), Kanak, Paris 2013, p. 103, ill. 61