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Papua New Guinea, Gogodala, ceremonial canoe prow terminal,…
Auction House:
Auction Location:
Sydney
Date:
28-May-2023
Lot No.
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Description:
Papua New Guinea, Gogodala, ceremonial canoe prow terminal, Papuan Gulf, with head to one end and decorated in natural pigments of red, black and white 81 cm x 12.5 cm, catalogue note: in addition to their huge racing canoes, the Gogodala also produced smaller canoes used in initiation ceremonies. The young men entering manhood would actually stand in the small canoe during the ceremonies. As with the racing canoes, each was carved by an individual clan and traditionally, the prow showed a clan ancestor in the process of being devoured by the sacred clan animal, such as a crocodile or python. This example features an ancestor head carved in light wood and decorated with paint and feathers and would have been inserted into the mouth of the sacred animal carved on the prow of the canoe. The Gogodala reclaimed their Art and ceremonies from westernization and missionary influence in the late 1960's and 1970's and for a brief period, began carving and creating traditional forms which had last been collected in the 1930's and 1940's. This piece dates from that time (Ref: 'Aida -Life and ceremony of the Gogodala' Crawford A.L.)
Estimate:
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Price:
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Category:
Unclassified