Small spirit board "gope" · Papua New Guinea - Golf, Elema · ID: 3041447
Richard Aldridge, Perth, Australia
Description
wood, brown patina, red and white pigment, lancet-shaped, the face of an ancestor spirit in the centre, jagged pattern around rim, drilled hole for suspension, slightly dam., traces of insect caused damage, abrasion of paint, base;
such small unnamed “gope” boards belonged to boys and young initiates; they were hung in their cubicles for protection, to help growth and to ward off sickness. They lost their potency at initiation.
The object Small spirit board “gope” with the object ID 3041447 was last part of the auction 84th Tribal Art Auction at November 5, 2016 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 21.
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Comparing literature
Hamson, Michael, Red Eye of the Sun, Los Angeles 2010, p. 42