Ancestor Figure
ClassificationsSculpture
Culture
Abelam
Dateearly 20th Century
Made AtEast Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
MediumWood and pigment
Dimensions27 × 8 × 3 1/2 in. (68.6 × 20.3 × 8.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Estate of Mildred K. Walker
Object number95.48.8
DescriptionThis male ancestral figure comes from the Abelam people residing in the Maprik area of the Prince Alexander Mountains in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. The figure is carved with hornbill beak legs and a pierced nose. Abelam figural carvings were made principally on the occasion of male initiation cycles. Carved figures like this bearded male retained the invisible powers of the spirit world and had an affective visual presence among viewers.On View
On viewCollections
19th Century
