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Nose Ornament (Bipane), mid 20th Century
Asmat culture; Papua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia…
Nose Ornament (Bipane)
Nose Ornament (Bipane), mid 20th Century
Asmat culture; Papua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia…
Nose Ornament (Bipane), mid 20th Century Asmat culture; Papua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia, Melanesia Cymbium shell and beeswax; 2 1/8 × 2 1/8 × 1/4 in. 2017.10.36 Anonymous Gift

Nose Ornament (Bipane)

ClassificationsClothing and Adornments-nose ornaments
Culture Asmat
Datemid 20th Century
Made AtPapua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia
Collection SitePapua (Irian Jaya) Province, Indonesia
MediumCymbium shell and beeswax
Dimensions2 1/8 × 2 1/8 × 1/4 in. (5.4 × 5.4 × 0.6 cm)
Credit LineAnonymous Gift
Object number2017.10.36
DescriptionNose ornament collected from the Asmat people in the Papua Province of Indonesia. The Asmat are well known for their elaborate body ornamentation and the bipane is one of the most typical forms of adornment among males in the tribe. The bipane is meticulously carved out of shell with each curved end representing the tusk of a boar or tail of a cuscus. The adornment of the bipane symbolically represents a well and successful hunt. The piece is worn through a hole pierced through the nasal septum and hangs down around the mouth, simulating the look of tusks. This accessory appears often in other carved art forms by the Asmat as a shorthand reference to the men who wear it.
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