This is a wooden Asmat ancestor carving featuring two female individuals. The entire piece is unpainted and is comprised of dark, solid wood. There are two figures depicted in this piece, one standing on top of the shoulders of the other. Both are female, as judging by the characteristic genitalia carving at the waist and protrusion carvings on the chest. The bottom figure is standing with arms stretched downwards and clasping a hornbill’s beaks in the hands. The upper figure is smaller and standing with arms stretched downwards to connect with the top of the bottom figure’s head. Both figures feature prominent chins, noses, and brows.
Ancestor carvings such as this are produced by the Asmat communities as reflections of people who have died. Often, they are carved in celebration of the festival for the Great Woodcarver Fumeripits, who is said to have carved the first humans out of the wood of the sago tree. In other instances, carvings such as this are placed outside the home of recently deceased individuals until their death has been avenged by a headhunting raid. After the occasions are over, carvings are discarded in the rainforests so that the spirits which inhabit them can rejuvenate the sago trees.
Colors: Black, Brown
