Crochet de suspension anthropomorphe ·  Papouasie-Nouvelle-Guinée, Iatmul · ID: 3053726

Description

wood, pigments,

Only suspension hooks used in men’s houses were carved with such elaborate representations of important ancestors and mythical beings. Their main function was the protection the hooks gave as intermediaries to the inhabitant ancestral spirits. Suspension hooks for daily use were simple. They were hung from eves, with valuable foods and personal items hung on their hooks, keeping them away from the numerous vermin.