Yams head ·  Papua New Guinea, Abelam/Wosera · ID: 3040682

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Description

balsa wood, painted in traditional colours with red, white and black pigment, slightly dam., minor missing parts (nose, left cheek), base;
selected yams become the central element of harvest festivals. Carved wooden heads were attached to the yams, transforming them into ancestral spirits or “nggwal”. They are dressed in jewels and finery, including body paint.

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Publications

Galerie Flak (ed.), Rites et formes de Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée, Paris, France, p. 76

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