Spirit board "gope" ·  Papua New Guinea, Uruma island · ID: 3040686

Description

wood, greyish brown patina, heart-shaped face of a spirit being in the centre, enclosed by ornaments in flat relief, drilled holes on either side, surface structure strongly marked by weathering and insect caused damage, missing parts, cracks, cut tip;
there has been some question as to what the boards actually represent - ancestor spirits or spirits of the bush. There are also lots of insights into the use and significance of the spirit boards. An Orokolo native himself stated that the principal function of a “gope” was to receive the magical “charge” of an ancestral spirit. It was told that spirits of such boards would go into battle with men who whorshipped it - both protecting them and causing confusion amongst the enemy. Furtheron the magical powers still had relevance to successful hunting. In any case they had a protective function.

L’objet Spirit board “gope” avec l’ID d’objet 3040686 a fait partie de la dernière vente aux enchères 83rd Tribal Art Auction dans 28 mai 2016 le Zemanek-Münster Hôtel des ventes. L’objet portant le numéro de lot 70 a atteint un prix de vente de 1 200 €.

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