1974.5.McD Male ancestor figure named Malabi
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Researchers traced this sculpture to the village of Yamok, north of the Sepik River, where Sawos men carved larger-than-life figures. Each figure represented a male ancestor, probably more mythological than real, and each had a name.
2008.65 Crescent-shaped ornament (tabelo)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The shape of this
1983.91 Man's shoulder or hip cloth (hinggi)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
This shoulder or hip cloth hinggi is distinguished by its rich colors, technical virtuosity, and natural materials. The end bands depict crocodiles and smaller avian creatures.
1997.141.McD Mouth mask depicting the head of a bird
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
On the island of Leti, ritual dances featured a small sculpture representing the head of an animal. The dancer held the masklike object in his mouth by the tab extending from the back of the head.
2001.270.1.McD Pair of ancestor figures (ana deo)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In central Flores, ancestor sculptures play significant r
2001.270.2.McD Pair of ancestor figures (ana deo) copy
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In central Flores, ancestor sculptures play significant r
Island Southeast Asia
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The culture area called Island Southeast Asia occupies the western Pacific Ocean, south and east of the Asian mainland. The islands of Indonesia form the heartland of this area, but culture is often continuous across modern political boundaries, as it is on the island of Borneo, which Indonesia's Kalimantan provinces share with Malaysia's Sarawak and Sabah and the sultanate of Brunei.
Pair of male and female ancestor figures (ana deo)
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In central Flores, two powerful creator gods are recognized and revered. The god of the heavens is called Deva or Mori Meze, and his female companion is Nitu, the goddess of the earth. Perhaps of greater everyday relevance is the power of the ancestors, since they are more closely associated with the daily lives of all living descendants.
Mouth mask probably depicting the head of a rooster
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Among the rarest of the ethnographic artifacts from the Southeast Moluccas are small masklike objects depicting the head of an animal. On the back of each of these objects is a wooden tab, extending from the inside of the head, which is clamped between the teeth and serves to hold the mask on the wearer’s lower face in front of the mouth.