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Jipae Statue Palembei
"This photo centers on a jipae full body costume from the asmat of Irian Jaya. The word Asmat means "wood" or "tree" people. Legends tell how their creator, Fumeripits, carved their first ancestors from trees, which he then drummed into life, standing back to watch them dance. The Asmat were to achieve world fame. Their art, whose most enduring tradition is elaborate woodcarvings, was to be recognized as one of the most powerful in the world. In 1961, Michael Rockefeller, son of the late America Vice-President, disappeared off their coast and was never found. The Metropolitan Museum has an outstanding collection of Asmat art, the majority of which was collected in 1961 by Michael C. Rockefeller.
Asmat body masks are full-length costumes made of plaited cordage composed of rattan, bark, and sago leaf fiber. The body masks are usually painted with red and white pigment, decorated with carved facial features, and given skirts made of sago leaves. The end result depicts an otherworldly being, which appears only for special funerary ceremonies, known as jipae. For a mask ceremony, the village creates body masks. Once the masks were made, dancers donned the masks and became "spirits" of ancestors, dancing into the evening and night. In the morning, the spirits led a single-file procession through the village, viewing all the changes that had happened since the last ceremony, years prior, and since their death. They also call it "Baju Setan" (Ghost Armor). During a "Jipae" ceremony, the close relative of the deceased may wear it to symbolize the spirit or ghost of the dead and parades through the village while the children and women throw rocks presenting the act of the chasing and sending the ghost to the spirit world."
"Asmat bark cloth framed on the walls, and a variety of large food hooks described above."
Food Hook to store food inside Sepik house.
This photo certainly explains how the food hooks were used. Very practical to keep out bugs, animals & small children.
"Different masks from differemt areas of PNG."
Dani Man
"A lifesize dani man in full regalia, phallocrypt, stone axe, head gear and all!"
"A great Palembei finial seen on the left of photo here as a tilted sculpture:
Among the finest traditional art forms of the Sepik region are the finials and other decorations that grace the roof line immediately above the gable at each end of the men's ceremonial house. Viewed from the ground the most visible figure is that of an eagle above a female figure. The bird soaring aloft often with outspread wings can be seen at the peak on both ends. This ornamentation can be seen throughout the middle Sepik region, and in each case reflects the particular carving style of the village. The meaning behind the iconography of all roof finials is common to all with variations. This version was told by senior master carver Simon Gambro Marmos from Tambanum village.
Long ago there was a woman who lived on a load anchor in the middle of the Sepik River. She thought she was about to give birth to a child but instead she laid three eggs. Two eggs became eagles and the other a crocodile who dove into the water. The two eagles caught men and ate human flesh. The crocodile stayed under the water and watched this happen, then went up and killed the two eagles. The human ancestors saw this and then built the haus tambaran with the finial figures shaped as eagles with crocodile tails. The woman is always present as the mother of the eagle and the crocodile.
In front, on floor, hand carved out-of-one-tree-trunk life-size crocodile from Timor, and above on the bed from Timor as well, a long hand carved sculpture of an asmat canoe full of warriors rowing towards the enemy and battle. In front on left is a headrest in the shape of a mythical animal with lots of colored carvings from the sepik region."
"A traditional Timor bed with 4 short hand carved posters, bed that comes apart and is easily reassembled: 11 pieces hand carved to fit into each other beautifully like a puzzle form it. Each plank of the bed is hand carved with geometric figures, stylized animals and people and is made of a large solid tree trunk. Although easily taken apart, the bed is very heavy as a whole! Sometimes 2 people are needed to lift each of the 11 planks. There is a nice oil from an artist from Bali that paints for the big hotels there, on back wall, and on right, some boat prows from the Sepik hang on the wall as well, crocodile sculptures that came from old canoes and were cut for posterity when the canoes rotted and were discarded."
[ Edited by: I dream of tiki 2009-02-20 23:31 ]
