Important Aboriginal Art - 25 March 2009 | Melbourne
Lot 178
Diminuative Stone Carved Ironwood 'Mindja' Yamfestival Spirit
(NAKUMA PEOPLE, WASKUKHILLS, EAST SEPIK PROVINCE, PAPUA NEW GUINEA)
encrusted polychrome ochres
43.0 x 21.0 cm
Estimate:
$2,000 - 3,000
Lot Details
Description
Diminuative Stone Carved Ironwood 'Mindja' Yamfestival Spirit (NAKUMA PEOPLE, WASKUKHILLS, EAST SEPIK PROVINCE, PAPUA NEW GUINEA)
encrusted polychrome ochres
43.0 x 21.0 cm
The rounded edges to the incised carving are a result of the stone tools used to carve this piece, although collected in the field in the 1970s by Edward Boylan, it would date from the 1920s
Catalogue text
The Nakuma like their neighbours the Kwoma, celebrate the great cycle of yam harvest ceremonies,Yena, Mindja and Nogwe. These are celebrations and supplications for both harvest and human fertility and each has its own carving. Mindja is a board with a head at the top and is representative of the male gender.
Reference: Bowden, R., Yena, Pitt Rivers Museum, 1983