Weekend trip to Papua New Guinea, sort of - General Tiki

S Swanky Tiki Socialite Hapa Haole Hideaway, Knoxville, TN Joined: Apr 03, 2002 Posts: 5398	S Swanky Posted posted on Sun, Jul 27, 2003 5:36 PM Yesterday morning I went to pick up my PNG Oratory table from the seller in Indiana. I was excited to see all his stuff, but I got much more than I expected. This post is very image heavy, but worth it. I arrived at the house and the fellow was not feeling well, so we talked on the phone. He gave me the complete story of the piece. I then told him about Hukilau and after a bit he invited me his house to see his collection after I finished there. On the lot are 3 sheds full of PNG artifacts. These are from the first shed which was mostly larger figures. The second shed had more larger figures and shelves with masks, drums and all sorts of things. The third shed had a small collection of masks, figures and more. This jar was about 3 feet in diameter. On the front porch were canoes and other items. I looked around after loading the massive table in the car and picked a couple of other items quickly and went to his house. We sat and talked about PNG culture and the significance of all these things. He told me of his 70 trips to Hawaii and his many trips to Polynesia over the last 40 years. It was incredible. Then we went to see his collection. In the basement he has his choice items. The instrument on the right was carved with stone tools, on the left, metal. This is the inside of one of these woven head dresses. They are huge and you can see the intricate weaving involved. Yet they do not make baskets. Various weapons A stone carved club weapon. This is the sort of thing they carried when Captain Cook met them. It was incredibly heavy, but not iron wood. It was an unknown type of wood. This is a later metal carved weapon. These are highly prized tusks. They would put a pig in a cage with only its head sticking out and cut off the lower tusks. They would force feed the pig and the tusks would slowly grow in a circle. Only 1 in 10 pigs survived this process, so these tusks were extremely valuable. These figures are pottery and not for ceremony. They are characatures for the people of the village. More weapons and a costume. This bowl is about 3 feet long and 18 inches deep. More figures. These are in his garage area. This is a carvers chair. A crocodile skin sheild. More items in the garage. These are the lintels of a house. Turn your head to the right and notice the piece in yellow on the left. Here is the piece as it was put together for a museum. The one in the garage is perhaps the only one in existense from an actual initiation ceremony. Outside his house, in the front house were these lodge poles. In the back yard were these massive poles from a cheif's house. He said they were the finest carvings he had seen. This figure is 8 feet long. You can see the size. These poles were from a building that collapsed into a lake in 1970. In 1990, they pulled these poles out of the water. They are iron wood. They held up incedibly. Quite heavy. More in the garage. A top finial from a house. A winged figure. This jar is in his home. Huge. This mask is easily 4 feet tall on his wall. More items from his home. Carved fish from Pitcairn Island in the 30's and 40's. A carved comb. So we had a great talk and he is coming to Hukilau to sell his items next year, and perhaps give a talk if you guys are interested. Here is the extra stuff I bought. His hair is feathers. A great mask. And the new big man in the bar: The Swank Pad Broadcast - If it's Swank... [ Edited by: Swanky on 2003-07-27 17:39 ] [ Edited by: swanky on 2003-07-27 18:05 ] [ Edited by: swanky 2006-04-19 14:31 ]

Yesterday morning I went to pick up my PNG Oratory table from the seller in Indiana. I was excited to see all his stuff, but I got much more than I expected. This post is very image heavy, but worth it.

I arrived at the house and the fellow was not feeling well, so we talked on the phone. He gave me the complete story of the piece. I then told him about Hukilau and after a bit he invited me his house to see his collection after I finished there.

On the lot are 3 sheds full of PNG artifacts. These are from the first shed which was mostly larger figures.

The second shed had more larger figures and shelves with masks, drums and all sorts of things.

The third shed had a small collection of masks, figures and more.

This jar was about 3 feet in diameter.

On the front porch were canoes and other items.

I looked around after loading the massive table in the car and picked a couple of other items quickly and went to his house.

We sat and talked about PNG culture and the significance of all these things. He told me of his 70 trips to Hawaii and his many trips to Polynesia over the last 40 years. It was incredible. Then we went to see his collection.

In the basement he has his choice items.

The instrument on the right was carved with stone tools, on the left, metal.

This is the inside of one of these woven head dresses. They are huge and you can see the intricate weaving involved. Yet they do not make baskets.

Various weapons

A stone carved club weapon. This is the sort of thing they carried when Captain Cook met them. It was incredibly heavy, but not iron wood. It was an unknown type of wood.

This is a later metal carved weapon.

These are highly prized tusks. They would put a pig in a cage with only its head sticking out and cut off the lower tusks. They would force feed the pig and the tusks would slowly grow in a circle. Only 1 in 10 pigs survived this process, so these tusks were extremely valuable.

These figures are pottery and not for ceremony. They are characatures for the people of the village.

More weapons and a costume.

This bowl is about 3 feet long and 18 inches deep.

More figures.

These are in his garage area.

This is a carvers chair.

A crocodile skin sheild.

More items in the garage.

These are the lintels of a house. Turn your head to the right and notice the piece in yellow on the left.

Here is the piece as it was put together for a museum. The one in the garage is perhaps the only one in existense from an actual initiation ceremony.

Outside his house, in the front house were these lodge poles.

In the back yard were these massive poles from a cheif's house. He said they were the finest carvings he had seen.

This figure is 8 feet long.

You can see the size.

These poles were from a building that collapsed into a lake in 1970. In 1990, they pulled these poles out of the water. They are iron wood. They held up incedibly. Quite heavy.