Description:

Central America, Panama, Kuna culture, ca. mid to late 20th century CE. This balsa wood figure, known as a nuchu (or uchu), is dressed in custom cotton clothing with a hood. Characteristically simplified, the figure stands upright with no arms, featuring only a nose and jutting brow for a face. In Kuna traditional medicine, bad spirits of illness, referred to as ponis, are expelled by a traditional healer called an inatuledi. The healer uses these nuchus - representations of good spirits - depicted in wooden carvings. Cherished by the Kuna people, nuchus are passed down through generations once the ill person has recovered. The cotton dress showcases orange and black geometric patterns created using the quilting and applique technique famous in Kuna textiles known as molas. Size: 10.75" L x 2" W (27.3 cm x 5.1 cm)

Provenance: private Truchas, New Mexico, USA collection

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#189306

  • Condition: Chips and abrasions to wood. Some minor staining to cloth and some frayed threads, but otherwise intact. Clothing is not removable from the doll.

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November 9, 2024 10:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000