atkom war shield

Reference : 2182

atkom war shield

Carved wood, ochre and black pigments (charcoal), lime
Double rattan strap handle
Height: 1.54 m / Width: 0.56m
Population Telefolmin
Sandaun Province (West Sepik)
Mountain Ok. Central Highlands

Source :
– Collected by an Australian pilot in the 60s
– Bill Evans Collection, Paddington.
– Chris Boylan Collection, Sydney.
– Daniel Vigne Collection, Paris, Uzes

Exhibition:
Shields of Papua New Guinea. Cavin-Morris Gallery, New York 2012
Catalog N°11
A catalog of this exhibition will be given to the purchaser.

More details

Recognizable by their geometric “X”-shaped motifs, the Ok Mountain shields are decorated in the same way as the engraved and painted doors of the ceremonial houses in this region.
According to Barry Craig (The Shields of Melanesia. 2005. Page 125), “the X motif represents a stylized human figure, probably embodying an ancestor.
The diamond point in the center is called matup bubil and represents its heart.
The zigzagging backdrops represent a snake called durulian, a symbol for telefolmin of mankind’s lost opportunity for immortality”.

These war shields could be used in magical rituals before each battle.
They were kept in the men’s house, alongside the skulls of ancestors.
Sometimes a small bag containing human bones was attached to the shield. This same bag was carried by the warrior in battle.

Price: €19,000

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