2000.2.10 (Platter)

This is a ceremonial wooden Asmat sago platter produced in Papua New Guinea in the late twentieth century. It features a large oval platter capped with a handle decorated in the image of a human head. The piece is painted in variations of red, white, and black pigments, with many portions retaining only fragments of the original paint. In the center of the plate are two stylized heads, both of which point away from the handle. The head itself bears simplistic characteristics with red painted eyes, mouth, and ears. The head is painted in black and the base of the face in white.

Color in Asmat society is very important and is often associated with mysticism and magic. White is called mbi and is produced by the crushing and burning of mussel shells found in the river. Red paint is called wasah and is made from mixing different river clays, while black is produced as a byproduct of ash and charcoal. Different combinations of colors denote different ideas such as strength, fertility, and mystic power.

Platters such as this were typically produced for both the everyday consumption of roasted sago palm and Capricorn beetles in the community house, called the jeu. In ceremonial instances, however, they would also often be used to consume the brains of enemies killed in headhunting raids. The brains were collected in order to avenge a death in a particular community and were widely believed to give the consumer the deceased’s power. The practice was banned by foreign missionaries in the late twentieth century, at which point Capricorn beetles took the place of human brains as the ceremonial meal. The head designs on this particular piece may point to its use in headhunting rituals at some point in time.

Colors: Red, White, Black, Brown

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