Staff "tefalipitya"

Description

wood, leather/ hide (colorized),
The sculpted figure always represents a “pitya” - a young unmarried woman at the peak of her physical beauty. “Te-fali-pitya” means “hoe-work-girl”.

From dawn to dusk throughout the cultivating season, teams of young men swing their iron hoes to the rhythms of drums and xylophones, as proud staff bearers follow behind the competing champions of each team. Through the use of sculpture, orchestra, song and dance, hoeing contests transform grinding labor into ritual.

The winners will receive a “tefalipitya” staff as a trophy. Henceforth, they are worshipped within the clan as significant ancestors and thus gain immortality. They also benefit in this life, for example, by having the best chance of a good match, that is, by having the prettiest girls married.

When a man or woman of the kin group dies, the staff is placed on display outside the house where the body lies, the staff is a sculptural honour guard.