Description:

Central America, Panama, San Blas Islands, Kuna/Cuna, early 20th century CE. A hand-carved hardwood figure, sometimes known as a nuchu, with a round, pointed hat and a simple body - arms out at sides, an elongated torso, and feet slightly apart as the figure stands on an integral rounded base. Comes with custom stand. Size: 3.7" W x 8.8" H (9.4 cm x 22.4 cm); height on stand: 9.85" (25 cm).

The Cuna people live on a series of thirty islands in the archipelago of San Blas in the Caribbean. This is a region of high humidity, hot temperatures, and intense rains. In their traditional medicinal practice, bad spirits of illness, known as ponis, must be expelled from the body by a traditional medicine man, an inatuledi. He does this using nucho - good spirits - who are represented in wood carvings.

Provenance: private Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA collection

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#122440

  • Condition: Nice dark wood patina on surface indicating its age; tiny drill hole through lower part of one arm.

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May 18, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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