Post #250101 by Kono on Mon, Aug 21, 2006 5:25 PM

On 2006-08-21 16:40, Tikiwahine wrote:
I'd say it's definitely a PNG carving, and it looks quite old.

"Tribes along the Sepik river in Papua New Guinea have a special relationship with crocodiles - a devotion to them reflected in carvings, paintings and "coming of age" ceremonies."

Their cultural links with the Sepik river are symbolized in many of their ancient and spiritual rituals, such as the manhood initiation. This requires painful carving of flesh on the backs of young men with razor blades. Patterns are that of a crocodile lying on the banks of the river.

My little carving seems to have these 'crocodile skin' patterns in addition to two crocodile heads, so I would say it could very well be from the Sepik region.

Cousteau (Sr and Jr) did a lot of filming in PNG and you can find the VHS vids on ebay for pretty cheap. The group spent more time studying the cultures than the sea life and the documentaries are VERY interesting. I particularly enjoyed the bit on the Asaro Mudmen. Tikiwahine, you might want to look for the one titled "River of the Crocodile Men." They discuss and film the rituals you mention above. Look for them on ebay or Amazon.