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.

The object Roof ridge finial of a chief’s house with the object ID 3052615 was last part of the auction Auction 105 at November 15, 2025 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 182 achieved a sales price of EUR 3,000.

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Comparing literature

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