Timbu Wara emblem

These basketry figures, known as Timbu wara, were made in the Pangia region of the southern Highlands.

Periodically, at intervals of five to eight years, the Timbu cult was part of a ceremonial cycle involving the killing of several hundred pigs.

At the end of this cycle, men danced with these emblems placed vertically on their heads.

The aim of this cult was to restore ecological balance and fertility to humans, pigs and lands with abundant gardens, taro, bananas and sweet potatoes.

After the ritual, these anthropomorphic figurines, supposed to represent the spirits of deceased women, were kept in the men’s house, fixed to a central post (tungi) on which were also hung the jaws of pigs sacrificed to the spirit of the Timbu. They were also used in male initiation ceremonies.

The term Timbu means “sky”, so the cult may have a link with the mythical “Sky Beings” who are considered important in Highland cosmology.

Price: €1,850 plus postage