Lot 193
Papua New Guinea, East Sepik Province, Upper Sepik River, Washkuk Hills, Wogumas Village, Kwoma people, ca. 1940s. A large Yena Yam Harvest Cult figure carved by a Kwoma artisan from wood in high relief and adorned with earth pigments of red and white hues. The Kwoma, Nukuma, and Yessan-Mayo are closely related peoples living in the hills north of the middle Sepik River in northern New Guinea. According to curatorial staff of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, "These cultures share a unique art tradition associated with a religious cult centered on the cultivation of yams. A sequence of three rituals, called "yena," "minja," and "nokwi," each involving a different type of figure, is performed in honor of the yam harvest. Carved wooden heads such as this one are created for yena, the first of these harvest rituals." With prominent eyes and noses, yena heads represent ancient and powerful spirits. During the ritual, village men assemble a pile of yams within the ceremonial house. The sticklike bases of the yena are inserted into the yam pile; in this case the yams were most likely attached to the spiky protrusions that resemble the back of a crocodile. The heads of such figures are decorated with brightly colored leaves, feathers, and other ornaments. The men then dance and sing to honor the yena spirits. At the conclusion of the ritual, the display is dismantled, the heads stored away, and preparations for the next ritual begun. Measures 49" (~124.5 cm) long. Provenance: Ex-B. Pickard private collection, Oklahoma City, OK; Ex-Ron L. Perry collection, collected in situ by Mr. Perry in 1960s. Mr. Perry was a cartographer who surveyed Papua New Guinea before it attained nationhood. Works from his collection have been featured in major museum exhibitions. Mr. Perry is also the author of a book entitled "Art Dealer in the Last Unknown" (2011). All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. #102644
- Condition: Four missing spiky protrusions on body. Aged surface with some stable cracks. Overall very good condition.
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