This is a wooden Asmat carving depicting two ancestral figures, likely produced in Papua New Guinea in the late twentieth century. The piece is entirely unpainted and maintains a dark brown coloration throughout. There are two figures, both of whom hold heads in their hands. At the bottom of the piece is an upside-down head on which rests the legs of the first figure. The second figure is sitting atop the first figure’s head and is also holding an upside-down head in the hands. The figures are simplistic in design, but feature characteristics which would suggest that they are female.
This carving may have been produced for a funerary event in which an individual in a community was honored with rites upon death. Death in Asmat society is always unnatural, the result of either hostile spirits of magical attacks from an enemy tribe. In order to resolve the imbalance caused by deaths in communities, family of the deceased undertake headhunting raids against their enemies. Once the enemies’ heads have been brought back, balance is believed to have been restored. This carving may have been produced during such an event, as indicative of the decapitated heads on display in the figures’ arms. Carvings such as this also depict the spirits of the deceased’s ancestors in order to shield the deceased from attacks by hostile spirits. Once the headhunting has been completed, such carvings are often discarded in the rainforests to rejuvenate the sago trees with their spirits. The practice of headhunting was dominant in many Asmat societies, but was banned by foreign missionaries in the late twentieth century.
Colors: Black, Brown