Suspension hook ·  Papua New Guinea, Iatmul · ID: 3037654

Description

wood, brown patina, remains of red, green and yellow pigment, carved with an anthropomorphic head with Sepik-characteristic nose, provided with thornlike projection, crowned by a kalao bird head, looking in the opposite direction, remains of original decoration with bast tassels, unusual floral ornament, slightly dam., fine crakcss (forehead zone, nose), metal base;
figural hooks were integral components of men’s houses, serving two primary functions, both of protective kind. The first was practical. The sculptures were hung from the rafters or eves, with valuable foods and personal items hung on their hooks, keeping them away from the numerous vermin. The second was the protection the hooks gave as intermediaries to the inhabitant ancestral spirits.