Suspension Hook (Samban)

ClassificationsFurnishings-Accessories-suspension hooks

Culture Iatmul

Datec. 1925

Made AtEast Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

MediumWood and plant fiber

Dimensions18 11/16 × 4 7/8 × 2 5/8 in., 16 oz. (47.5 × 12.4 × 6.7 cm, 0.454 kg.)
In Mount: 22 5/8 × 5 1/8 × 3 7/8 in. (57.5 × 13 × 9.8 cm)

Credit LineBowers Museum Purchase

Object number2013.1.1

DescriptionPlaced in homes and men’s ceremonial houses, suspension hooks served a largely practical purpose. Bags containing food or other everyday items were slung over each end of the hook to ensure that pests could not eat their contents. Suspension hooks almost always feature a carved human figure or animal that is mounted on or forms a part of the hook. Here the carved male figure represents an ancestor with a commanding presence.

On View

Not on view

Collections