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Wave Splitter Finial (Munkuris), 20th Century
Massim culture; Gawa, Milne Bay Province, Papua …
Wave Splitter Finial (Munkuris)
Wave Splitter Finial (Munkuris), 20th Century
Massim culture; Gawa, Milne Bay Province, Papua …
Wave Splitter Finial (Munkuris), 20th Century Massim culture; Gawa, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, Melanesia, Oceania Wood; 23 1/4 × 13 3/4 × 3 in. 2014.12.14 Collected on behalf of the Bowers Museum by the Roski-Keller-Martin Expedition

Wave Splitter Finial (Munkuris)

ClassificationsTools and Equipment-canoe ornaments
Culture Massim
Date20th Century
Made AtMilne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea
Collection SiteMilne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea
MediumWood
Dimensions23 1/4 × 13 3/4 × 3 in. (59.1 × 34.9 × 7.6 cm)
Credit LineCollected on behalf of the Bowers Museum by the Roski-Keller-Martin Expedition
Object number2014.12.14
DescriptionWave splitter finials are a part of the elaborate ngega kula canoes used in the kula trade ring in the Massim area of Papua New Guinea. Known colloquially as munkuris, the finials are tied atop a wave splitter, also known as prowboard or tabuya, which is located on both the prow and the stern of the canoe. Birds are commonly carved at each side of the final. The birds represent magic that protects the canoe and its passengers from various difficulties during their voyage. These finials have also been metaphorically described as head or hair that is attached to the vertical “neck” of prowboards. The prowboards have been referred to as the chest and/or shoulders of the canoe.
On View
Not on view
Wave Splitter (Tabuya), 20th Century
Massim culture; Gawa, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guine…
Massim
20th Century
Wave Splitter (Tabuya), 20th Century
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20th Century
Wave Splitter (Tabuya), 20th Century
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Wave Splitter (Tabuya), 19th to early 20th Century
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Wave Splitter (Tabuya), early to mid 20th Century
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early to mid 20th Century
Wave Splitter (Tabuya), early to mid 20th Century
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Massim
early to mid 20th Century
Wave Splitter (Tabuya), mid 20th Century
Massim culture; Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea,…
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mid 20th Century
Canoe Bailer, 20th Century
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