on Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
000-180-000-790-C © National Museums Scotland |
|
Wooden board with image of ancestor, made by Jarr tribe
This wooden board (kwoi) bears a representation of an ancestor of the Jarr tribe in Papua New Guinea. It would have been hung up on show inside a family or tribal house, to protect people and remind them that the ancestors are all around.
The board is a single plank, shaped into a stylised human-cum-animal form representing an ancestor. Detail has been carved into the plank and highlighted with white, red and black paint - colours associated with the spirit world.
The ancestors are of key importance to the Jarr and many others in south-east Asia and the Pacific. The dead are believed to join them, and they are believed to influence the lives of the living. They require attention and care; they protect and advise.
Record details
To search on related items, click any linked text below.
Online ID: |
000-180-000-790-C |
Image Rights Holder: |
National Museums Scotland |
Project: |
0504: National Museums Scotland Part 2
Project description | View all records in project |
Ref: |
National Museums Scotland A.1951.367 |
Date: |
Early or mid 20th century
|
Material: |
|
Dimensions: |
35.50" H
|
What: |
Kwoi / tablet, ancestral
|
Subject: |
Magic and ceremonial
|
Who: |
|
Where: |
Melanesia, New Guinea, Papuan Gulf, Purari Delta
|
Event: |
|
Description: |
Carved wooden kwoi or ancestral tablet in the form of a man with forearms upraised and legs doubled up decorated with dentations and an eye motives in red and black on white: New Guinea, Papuan Gulf,
|
References: |
- Specht, J. and Fields, J. . Frank Hurley in Papua: Photographs of the 1920-1923 Expeditions. Bathurst, Australia: Robert Brown and Associates, 1984, pp 178-9.
- University of California, Los Angeles Museum and Laboratories of Ethnic Arts and Technology . Art of New Guinea: Sepik, Maprik and Highlands. Los Angeles, UCLA, 1967.
|
Translations: |
|
Related Records: |
|