Soul Boat
ClassificationsSculpture
Date20th Century
Made AtPanama, Central America, North America
MediumBalsa wood, paint and nails
Dimensions26 × 12 × 31 1/2 in. (66 × 30.5 × 80 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest and Auguste Roschen
Object number96.5.2
DescriptionCarved wooden boat with figures from the Kuna (Guna) people of Panama. Twenty-nine human figures and one alligator are depicted. The boat is painted red and blue. One large figure on a pole is holding a drum and there is one large figure on the back. Both sides are painted with geometric designs. Called a soul boat, this sculpture would have been placed in the tomb of a deceased Kuna person along with other goods that would assist in the transition to the afterlife. Collected by donor in 1923.
On View
On view
20th Century
1870-1949
206 BCE - 220 CE
c. 1812
20th Century
1910-1911
mid to late 20th Century
