Splashboard of a canoe "lagim" ·  Papua New Guinea, Trobriand islands, Massim · ID: 3039902

Description

wood, small remains of traditional paint in red, white and black, board-shaped flat, getting broader to the top with volute-like projections to each side, fine carving (leaves, long-billed birds), anthropomorphic figure on top, cut at the bottom, fissured surface structure through weathering, paint nearly entirely gone, minor missing parts, metal base;
these splashboards are mounted athwart both the bow and stern to hold up the sideboards that help increase the depth of the hull and keep water from splashing inside. They were said to have a magical function as well because the boards are “set in position with spells associated with the increase of the owner’s personal beauty, and hence his powers of seduction” deemed essential in a successful “kula” voyage.