The aim of this article is to briefly outline the culture and history of Massim region in New Guinea and examine the great range of Artworks that arise from their fascinating Culture. The Massim live in Milne Bay Province the Eastern most extremity of Papua New Guinea mainland. The central mountains that run right through the spine of New Guinea abruptly stops and shelves into the South pacific. Approximately 30 miles wide at this point it fork into two peninsulas, (East and South Cape). The body of water between the two capes is Milne Bay itself with the capital Alotau deep on the Northern shore of the bay. Milne Bay Province though is far larger and dominated by Islands and Island Culture. The most published part of Milne Bay is the Trobriand Islands and this is due to it’s early contact with missionaries and famous anthopological work. Milne Bay has three Airports one in the capital Alotau, one on Misima Island and the last on the Trobriand Islands.
Map of Milne Bay
The population of the Massim is around 100,000 people which is comparitively small compared to other Papua New Guinea Provinces. Culturally the province can be split into North Massim and Southern Massim with the line being roughly drawn just above the D’entrecasteaux Islands.
Traditionally Southern Massim tribes tended to live in hamlet clusters of no great size but had a men’s house. The men’s house has a saddle back roof and carved beams and boards that acted as racks for trophy skulls. They engaged in raid warfare had a payback system for inter clan fighting. They would bring male captives back to the home village to be tortured killed and eaten on stone platforms. They had no hereditary chief system and men would gain prestige and repute through personal accomplishment.
In the northern Massim (not just the trobriand islands) people lived in large villages with buildings on each side of a sand street or in concentric circles. There were no men’s house but they did have special houses for storing Yams. There was a hereditary chiefdom system with several grades of rank. Although there was rampant organized warfare cannibalism was not practiced.
Traditionally the people of Massim had no belief in a creator but legends and myths usually about the first ancestors arising out of caves. They had and in many places still have animalistic beliefs in spirits inhabiting tress swamps springs rocky areas and certain reefs. Generally these spirits were believed to be malevolent or indifferent to human beings but with the area where the spirits lived being avoided.
There were no major cults amongst the Massim and people were remarkably secular, with the exception of Yaboaine a divinity of war. Sorcery though played a major part in Milne Bay life with sorcerers able to use their powers to kill, inspire love, control the weather, increase garden fertility and ensure success in trading missions known as Kula.
Today the majority of Massim people are Christian and go to church on Sunday but when you get to know them well still also believe in sorcery and avoid certain areas.
Artistically Milne bay is more commonly referred to as the massim, and is one of about half a dozen distinctly different art style areas in Papua New Guinea. It is related to the Lake Sentani Area and it has been suggested that this is due to a related group of ancestors.
Milne Bay Splashboard
It is little wonder then that much of the art created in Milne Bay is connected with sailing canoes. Some of the most recognizable Milne bay artobjects are canoe Splashboards and Canoe Wave splitters both which are usually covered with low relief carving and then painted in white blacks and red. Inter island trade was commonplace and a unique system of trade evolved known as Kula on which whole books have been written.
Milne Bay Canoe (photo by f.E. Williams 1929)
The other art objects that are found commonly in Milne Bay are associated with Chewing Betel nut where local palm nut is mixed with lime and chewed as an intoxicant. Milne Bay province produces the most superb Lime Sticks betel nut mortars and lime gourds of anywhere in the Pacific along with a whole range of other art forms.
Superb Milne Bay Spatula
The third major group of artobjects to be found in Milne Bay are forms of Currency or trade valuables. They have superb shell necklaces (Bagi) and shell armbands (Mali) along with stone axe heads and spatulas for displaying shell valuables.
The final group of objects that are made with such superb craftsmanship commonly found are objects used in Warfare and every day utilitarian objects like dishes and spoons.
Historically compared to other parts of Papua New Guinea Milne Bay has had a long history of European contact. The Spanish Torres and Prad made first contact in 1606 when they observed the Louisade Archipelago and Basalaki Island on their way to the Torres straits. It was not visited again until 1793 when it was explored by D’entrecasteaux and then by Captain Owen Stanley in 1849.
It was in the late 19th century that Milne Bay saw any major influx of Europeans when Pearl Divers gold prospectors and missionaries moved into the area. Three main areas of early European settlement include Samurai Island in the South (former provincial centre), the Trobriand Islands in the North and Dogura (Bartle Bay) on the mainland.
Milne Bay Sunset
Today Milne Bay province is one of the most advanced provinces in Papua New Guinea. It is a good place to travel (although logistically difficult) with lots of white sandy beaches small villages great fishing and a slower way of life that comes as a refreshing change.
Hei Tiki means pendant of Human Form in Maori. They are made from varieties of a green stone called Pounamu and are miniature masterpieces of Maori Art. Old Hei Tiki are extremely collectable and are highly sort after by collectors of Oceanic Art.
Hei Tiki pendants are still being produced today by Maori artists and although they are lovely works of maori art in their own right they are not as sort after or nearly as valuable.
Original Hei Tiki pendants were worn by men and women of chiefly rank and had a flax string cord and an albatross bone toggle. In the vast majority of cases these attachments are absent even in museum examples.
Many of the Old Hei Tiki were made from adze blades and their shape reflects this when examined especially in profile.
Superb Example
The origin of Hei Tiki is believed to be from earlier pendants bought in from other areas of Polynesia. The Marquesan Islander also have a human form pendant by the same name, made from human bone. It is likely that the very first Maori Hei Tiki were made from bone and wood but no genuine examples have yet been discovered.
The Figure is often sexless but when sex is shown it is always female. It is possible that the Hei Tiki had some fertility association. Often old Tiki were valued by the Maori for their Mana rather than for some magical property of for their beauty as a piece of Maori Art.
Well preserved examples have inserts of paua shell in the eyes or in the case of some post contact examples red sealing wax. Often the Hei Tiki was interred with a body and these features were lost through decay.
There is evidence that many early examples are reasonably small in size and due to the popularity of larger examples with early collectors that the average size increased. Small Hei Tiki are 6-8 cm while large examples are up to 16 cm. Despite evidence that most of the large examples were later examples made due to European demand for this form of Maori Art they are still often more valuable than small examples.
20th century examples are generally smaller in size have a uniform thickness and glass like surface
21st century examples can be difficult to tell apart from the early examples with many being skilled copies of earlier pieces but do have a different patina
The authoritive text should you wish to find out more about hei tiki is a book by that name by H.D, Skinner published in 1966
Churinga are sacred totems or objects of religious significance to Central Australian Aborigines. They are made from wood or stone and are the finest form of Aboriginal Art. Due to the religious /sacred nature of Churinga they are not displayed within Australian Museums or Galleries.
The majority of designs found in central Australian Aborigines paintings are inspired by or come from earlier designs on Churinga. Churinga themselves due to there sacred nature may not be sent out of Australia.
Churinga
Pope Boniface VIII wanted to commission some paintings for St. Peter’s and so he sent a courtier around to find the best painter in Italy. The courtier asked all the artists to give him a sample of their work to send to the Pope. He came to Giotto’s workshop, explained his mission, and asked him for a drawing which would give the Pope some idea of his competence and style. “Sure,” said Giotto; and he laid down a sheet of paper, reached for a brush dipped in red paint, closed his arm to his side to make a sort of compass of it, and in one even sweep scribed a perfect circle. The pope and his advisors understood the achievement of that O and gave Giotto the commission.
Surely to achieve the same level of perfection carving with a possums tooth is no less a sign of mastery. Australian Aborigines Art was considered by many as primitive but I wonder had a Churinga like the one above had been sent to Pope Boniface VIII whether he would not have seen it as the masterpiece it surely is.
Kundu is the name given to Hand Drums used in New Guinea. There are literally hundreds of different types of these fascinating musical instruments as most New Guinea tribes have a style of their own. Kundu drums usually have either a Lizard Skin or Possum skin on the top and are normally made from a hollowed out hardwood log. This blog is a visual guide as to the types of Kundu drums in New Guinea along with some idea of their rarity.
The amount of work that goes into making a drum is often underestimated by collectors of New Guinea arts and Oceanic art collectors. Old drums were hollowed out by placing hot coals in the centre of the log and precision burning and scraping out of the middle with the outer design added after the hollowing out from both ends was completed. Although some are quite plain others are masterpieces of Oceanic art.
The majority of New Guinea has drums but not all areas. There are no kundu Drums on New Ireland, Manus, Buka / Bougainville or Rossel Island. Kundu drums are a fairly common musicl instrument as most men involved with traditional singsings owned a drum. Certain drums though are exceptional and are highly collectable.
Kundu drums range in size from 30 centimetres for a small massim finger drum right up to over 200 centimetres like those found amongst the Gogodala. Some drums have handles while others don’t this is not determined by size but rather by style.
In general an older stone carved drum will be far more valuable than a later one carved with steel tools. It is usually the quality of the art depicted on the drum along with the rarity that determines value. There are exceptions though and drums that have a wonderful form or are unique works of art onto themselves are also highly collectable.
Gulf of Papua Kundu from Kerema
Drums from the Gulf of Papua often had faces of Ancestral heros pictured on the mouth that is cut to represent a crocodile. There value is often dependant on the quality of the face or faces depicted
GOGODALA DRUM GULF OF PAPUA
The longest type of drum made in new Guinea they can be over 2 metres in length and the sound of these musical instruments can travel kilometres through the swampland they come from.
Massim Finger Drum
Massim Drum
Massim Drums from Milne bay Province can usually be spotted by the underside being curved and distinctive designs of abstract seabirds. they vary in size from 30 cm for small finger drums up to about a metre in length.
Abelam Kundu Drum Sepik Region
Abelam Drums are usually smaller near the skin than they are at the base
TORRES STRAIT KUNDU
The Torres Strait drum Warup is the rarest form of Drum and Highly collectable
Childs Kundu from Papuan Gulf
Some drums were made in a diminutive size for children so that they could practise these musical instruments. They are usually the same as the larger versions just scaled down.
Middle Sepik Kundu
Some of the most superbly carved drums come from the Middle Sepik. Old stone carved examples are very collectable.
Other examples of these musical instruments from around New Guinea
There are numerous different New Guinea Mask types, which vary mainly depending on the region they come from. The best known New guinea mask come from the Sepik River but there are various widely different types of masks through out New Guinea.
Not all New Guinea Mask were made to be worn by people. Some masks were made to “decorate” sacred flutes, the front of canoes, the HausMan, as amulets and even yams. Other masks were not made to wear directly on the head but were part of a larger assemblage.
Types of New Guinea mask vary from very small Amulet masks only a Few centimetres high to huge Baining masks over 10 metres tall.
In New Guinea it is only men who wear masks and they must have been initiated into the cult that produces the mask. Masks are hidden from women when not in use and are secret. When worn the initiate becomes the spirit / tumbuwan the mask represents. Masks are still being used today in New Guinea and are danced during ceremonial occasions.
The following is a visual guide on types of New Guinea mask but due to the huge variety throughout the country is far from inclusive. It is probably better to think of it as a brief introduction to this fascinating group of oceanic art forms.
Papuan Gulf Masks
Papuan Gulf masks from Central gulf are made of Woven Rattan and those from the East from tapa over a Pandanus and cane inner structure
Massim Mask
Rarest of New Guinea Masks I did not even know that masks were made in Milne Bay existed until I spotted this one in the Pitt Rivers Museum
French Island Masks
Masks from vitu island or the french islands
are either made from Tapa over a cane frame or from a light wood. Tapa masks from this area of West New Britain can be distinguished by the eyes being very high up in the head . Wooden helmut masks all look similar to the one illistrated.
Tumbuwan Mask
Distinctive cone shaped top with large eyes and huge smile.
Lorr Mask
Baining Mask
Baining masks are some of the Largest masks in the world and are made from tapa over a rattan frame. They usually have extremely large distinctive circular eyes.
Sulka Masks
Masks from the Sulka or Suluka people in East new Britain are made of pith finely sewn onto a cane frame. They are a distinctive pink colour.
Malangan Masks
Malangan masks come from the Northern Part of New Ireland and are made from a lightwood . Normally they are very intricate and show very high degrees of workmanship
Tantanua mask
Tantanua masks from New Ireland can be distinguished by the mohawk of hair. They usually have a lightwood face plate and fibre top
Tanga Mask
Tanga Masks are made of tapa over a cane structure. Although they tend to be coarsely made their forms are some of the wildest in all of Oceanic Art.
Huon Gulf Masks
Huon Gulf and Astrolabe Bay masks are made from wood or Tapa over cane and they have very distinctive ears. They are always done with openwork to reflect the importance of ear piercing as part of initiation in this area
Highlands Masks
Most highlands masks are made from painted gourds but some are also made from a fantastic variety of natural materials. They can be distinguished by the distinctive yellow ochre.
Torres Strait Masks
Although they are Politically a part of Australia the torres straits are melanesian culturally and in Oceanic Art this makes them more a part of New Guinea than Aboriginal
New Guinea Masks from the Sepik and Ramu is another Blog altogether
I hope you can appreciate the vast variety of New Guinea masks. New Guinea is probably the most prolific mask-producing region of the World as far as variety is concerned. As Oceanic Art they are extremely expressive and come in a vast variety of sizes forms and functions. It is a great pity that the majority of people who visit New guinea only get to see the modern Middle Sepik Mask produced for sale to tourists and miss the fantastic variety of other masks this diverse country has to offer.
I have worked in New Guinea for the last 20 years and field collecting Tribal Art. Field collecting requires that you travel to the remotest areas. One question I get asked repeatedly is there still cannibalism in New Guinea. If by that question people mean does it exist today then the answer is NO. If you mean are there still people around who have eaten human flesh in the past the answer is yes, but they are now very old.
Headhunters skull rack from the gulf of Papua, New Guinea
The last reported cases of Cannibalism in New Guinea is in the Late 1960’s on the Sepik River The Kiap (Patrol Officer) hung 7 cannibal for the offence. The majority of Head Hunting and cannibalism ended in the late 1920’s. Today the majority of Papua New Guineans are Christians and go to church every Sunday.
With that said 100 years ago Cannibalism and headhunting was rampant in New Guinea and through out the Pacific. The difference between headhunting and cannibalism is that Headhunting is done for “spiritual” purposes. A cannibal eats people for the calories contained in human flesh. Headhunting was mainly confined to the Sepik River system and in the Gulf of Papua.
Decorated Skull from the Fly River Papuan Gulf
Cannibalism was much wider spread and was practised throughout the coastal areas and Offshore Islands. It was also around Telefomin in the Highlands. In East New Britain victims taken in battle were caged and fattened for feasting. Human flesh was sold at market. It is said that the flesh of babies was the sweetest. One old cannibal I met on New Ireland described the taste of Human flesh as being similar to Dolphin others have said it is a little like chicken.
In Manus people really were cooked in large pots like the cartoon cannibal. In most areas though the cannibal would heat rocks and wrap the Human flesh in leaves. They would then bury the heated stone and food parcels in the earth and the heat from the stones would cook the meat. Normally the cannibal did not make the captured into a soup but the pieces of meat would have been wrapped in edible ferns. These ferns would absorb the fats released by cooking and would be eaten as well maximising calories. This form of cooking is called a Mu Mu in pisin English or a Hungi in Maori or Luau. Mu Mu are still common in New Guinea it is just that it isn’t people being cooked.
Headhunting was done more ritualistically after battle and certain parts of the body like testicles, brains and livers imparting special powers to the people who ate them. In the Eastern highlands the Fore people used to eat their loved ones brains as part of the funeral rights. This lead to Fore women to suffer from a mysterious laughing disease called Kuru. Kuru is caused by an accumulation of Prions similar to Mad Cow disease. It attacks the nervous system and sends people into fatal fits.
Not all headhunters were cannibals but many were. The Iatmul people of the Middle Sepik would boil the flesh off a head taken in battle and then artistically cover it in clay and ochres.
Over Modelled Skull Iatmul people Middle Sepik
The most famous case of Cannibalism involves Michael Rockefeller who was probably eaten by the Asmat people in 1964. His his canoe capsized while collecting New Guinea artefacts for the Metropolitan Museum.
Please don’t listen to stupid tourists on YOUTUBE who ask “Cannibals” and don’t even speak the language. They mistranslate what used to happen and make it sound as though it is still happening today.
An Easter Island Paddle rapa is not just a paddle but abstract representations of the Human form. It is for this reason that an Easter Island paddle is extremely collectable Polynesian Art form and by far the most expensive paddle in oceanic art.
Heyerdahl 1975 p 201 notes “nowhere else in Polynesian art do double bladed paddles exist. Polynesian canoes are without exception propelled by single-bladed paddles with an upper grip section which is either crotched, knobbed or plain. The traditional importance of the double bladed paddle in Easter Island ceremonies… suggests that we are dealing with a cult and insignia based upon the veneration of an ancestral maritime implement.
Charles Mack in Polynesian Art at Auction 1982 p82 notes “averaging 30 inches long, these double bladed dance paddles, rapa, of toromiro wood are based on abstract human form and are unique to Polynesian Art.
One of the blades is in the form of a very abstract human head with only the eyebrows, long narrow nose, and ear lobes with earplugs indicated in relief carving. The narrow central handle represents an elongated neck, the other blade an abdomen terminating in a penis with well-formed glans. There is no indication whatsoever of either arms or legs.
These hourglass shaped ceremonial paddles are amazingly similar to one and other in size, proportion, form, detail, and overall quality. It is little wonder that today they are almost universally considered to be amongst the finest of Oceanic art abstract sculpture.
There is at least one extremely well made Fake Easter Island Paddle that surfaced in a UK auction house recently along with other genuine Oceanic art. It never made it to auction and was withdrawn. Such objects though tend to resurface. If you have quarter of a million burning a whole in your pocket and collect Oceanic art an Easter Island paddle may be for you. Make sure the provenance is very solid though! If you don’t have huge amounts of money though a Austral Island Paddle is very pretty addition to your Polynesian Art Collection.
In many modern day museums and art gallerys, native weapons are often not prominently displayed. It is almost as though Europeans wish to believe they invaded a garden of Eden of peace loving people in the Pacific. This was clearly not so with most Polynesians being just as warlike as Europeans just differently armed.
Weapons made with such attention to detail art are works of art.
“ a defeated party fleeing for their lives, or the ovens filled with the bodies of the slain villagers, a band of slaves being hurried along rough trails…Hence his weapon was the Maori’s constant care in the old fighting days, and was always taken with him” Elsdon Best of Tuhoe-land
The native weapons of the Maori can be divided into four classes:—
Short striking weapons – Hand Clubs
Long Striking weapons-Long clubs.
Thrusting weapons – spears
Projectile weapons
This article deals with the projectile weapons and thrusting weapons of the maori for clubs see Native Weapons Maori Part 1
Projectile Weapons.
In projectile weapons the native Moari armoury was decidedly deficient. As with Polynesians, the Maori made no use of the bow and arrow in warfare.
Tarerarera or Kotaha.
This is the only form of native weapon used by the Maori that could be thrown to any distance. It was a rough undressed spear, and was thrown by means of a whip. It is sometimes termed pere by the old men, and also kopere
When used with the whip (kotaha), the butt of the spear (small end of sapling) was stuck in the ground, the head raised at the desired angle, and facing the direction of the enemy. The operator, holding the wooden whip handle, to the end of which a cord was attached, loosely hitched the free end of the cord round the body of the spear. By a vigorous swing of the whip, the spear was plucked from the earth and impelled swiftly in the direction it had been laid to. The twist of the cord round the spear withstood the forward ‘pluck,’ but was released by the forward revolving movement of the spear, the operator retaining the whip in his hands. On striking anywhere, the impact caused the head of the spear to break off at a ring notch, thus in striking the human body the head would remain buried in the body, causing a wound from which recovery was extremely doubtful. it was the only truely projectile weapon used by the maori
Reti
The reti, was a pronged, double-pointed, and the sides of such prongs or tines notched. It was made of ake wood. It was grasped by the hand held at the butt end and thrown at an enemy. A cord was fastened to the butt end and the cord held in the left hand, thus enabling the operator to recover his weapon.
Hoeroa or tatu paraoa
Maori Hoeroa
This peculiar weapon was made from the rib of the sperm whale (paraoa) and was about five feet in length, flat and about two inches wide. It was not straight but curved. One end was sharpened but not brought to a point, i.e., the full width of the weapon was carried right through to the end, which, however, was tapered in regard to thickness and brought to a fine edge. The hoeroa seems to have been used as a missile weapon and as a stabbing spear, also possibly as a striking weapon. A cord (taura) was secured to a hole in the butt end of the hoeroa, the other end of the cord being fastened to the girdle of the warrior. This enabled him to recover his weapon when cast. As a stabbing or thrusting weapon it would inflict a dreadful wound. It appears to have been thrown with an underhand cast, and is said to have been a most difficult weapon to parry (karo).
Thrusting or Stabbing Maori Native Weapons
Puraka
This weapon resembled an enlarged eel spear. The shaft was made of manuka wood, resembled a large fork, and was used for stabbing purposes.
Huata
This is the longest fighting spear of Maori. It was from eighteen to twenty-five feet in length, and was much used in the defence and attack of the old Maori forts (pa). In such a defence the huata was used by one man who inserted his spear between the palisades of the defence, using the horizontal rail (huahua) of the palisading as a rest (pae) for same. In fighting outside two men were needed to manipulate the somewhat cumbrous huata, one towards the forward end of the spear, who acted as a pae, or rest, by loosely holding the spear, the other man at the butt end doing the thrusting. When fighting in the open, the users of the huata would remain behind the front ranks, who were armed with shorter weapons, the long huata being thrust forward between the men in front, as a man using a huata could not well defend himself.
In attacking a village, these spears were used to slay persons within their houses, by thrusting the spears through the roof of thatch or bark.
In travelling, the long huata were held in one hand and trailed behind, dragged as the long bird spears were.
Tokotoko
This is often termed the ‘short huata’ by natives. The tokotoko was pointed at one end, the point being hardened by fire It was made of Manuka wood and was about ten to twelve feet long.
Tete
This was a different type of spear. It was a short stabbing spear, about seven feet in length, the shaft being of manuka wood, to which was fastened a sharpened head or point of mapara or of human or whale bone It was often ornamented with a bunch of awe or dog’s hair fastened on by the lashing of the head.
Koikoi
The koikoi was a double-pointed, short spear of manuka wood, and was seven to eight feet long, pointed at both ends
GENERAL INFORMATION
In war the general rule was that each warrior was armed with one long weapon—as taiaha, paiaka or spear—and one short weapon—as a patu or toki. The former were carried in the right hand, the latter stuck in the girdle. When the tapu of the war god was upon the warrior, he would never carry his weapon in his left hand. The reason is this, that the right side of man is the tama-tane, the male side, the tapu side, the side of life, health and strength; whereas his left side is the tama-wahine, the female side or common side, the side of death, of sickness or affliction, of weakness.
In war, should cooked food be passed over or come in contact with a native weapons, that weapon is polluted and has lost all its virtue or piercing power
Warriors fighting with a short weapon, as patu or toki, relied principally on the nimbleness of their legs in order to avoid blows aimed at them. They were never still during such a combat, but always dodging and jumping about. The left arm was also used in parrying a blow the left hand, with the puapua, was used in the parry. This puapua would probably be a garment rolled or tied up into a ball, or wrapped round the arm.
Maori hand axe
In the latter part of the eighteenth century, iron began to be obtained from the early European voyagers. Iron was utilised as spear heads, and formed into patu. Gridirons were eagerly sought after, the bars thereof being formed into barbed points for bird spears. Iron tomahawks were used with either a short or long handle. But the European weapon most sought after was the gun.
That’s right I buy all types of old Pacific Arts and antique Tribal Art and the process is really easy.
Fijian Ula
If you want to sell some pacific arts all you need to do is take some photos and attach them to an email to me. If it is something that i deal with then i will give you a price that i am willing to buy it from you for. If it is an antique tribal art masterpiece I will sell it on your behalf on a commission basis.
I also deal with antique aboriginal art and specialize in old new guinea art. Basically there are two types of Tribal art, those pieces that were made to be sold to tourists and those that were made to be used by the culture that created them. New Guinea Tribal Art deal with pieces of Tribal art that were used by the culture that made them. Don’t worry though if you don’t know if you piece of tribal art is made for use or for sale, just send me a photo and i will let you know.
New Guinea Art
Although I specialize in antique New Guinea Art I have numerous well placed contacts that deal in African art and Old Polynesian tribal art. What I don’t know I am in a good place to find out.
Generally New Guinea Art that was collected before 1960 has a good chance of being valuable and is what i specialize in. Please feel free to browse the New guinea Art that i have for sale as it might help you decide if your piece of new guinea art is similar. Other Pacific Arts pieces from the Solomon islands and Polynesian art typically need to have been collected prior to 1930 to be of interest.
Aboriginal Wanda Shield
Although I deal with aboriginal art i deal with aboriginal art that was made for native use. I do not sell aboriginal art that was made for sale like paintings with the exception of early bark paintings. If you have aboriginal art that i do not deal with please contact me and i will put you onto someone who does.
If you are not sure if your pacific arts or other tribal art is wanted or not it is better to send a picture and get an idea of what I think it is worth than to let it sell undervalue.
Marupai are unique form of oceanic art made from a small carved coconut used in association with sorcery in the Gulf of Papua in New Guinea. They are a unique form of Tribal Art and found in the collections of museums and oceanic art collectors around the world
The first Marupai I saw in the Gulf of Papua was owned by an old magician near Biamaru station. I was fortunate that my friend and guide Kaiya Rove knew the man personally or it would never have been shown to me. It was as most marupai are, a carved dwarf coconut with distinctive eyes, a symmetric design and slit mouth. This was also the first time I heard an impersonation of the noise that the spirit of a marupai makes as it flies through the night in search of an enemy to harm. I have heard dozens of impersonations of that repetitive high-pitched sound since in many different villages over a wide area and it is always uncannily the same.
Marupai have in the past been described as a New Guinea hunting charm and although not incorrect, it over simplifies their function. Marupai are personal spiritual charms capable of several functions.
1. They are a protective charm, protecting the owner from being attacked through the spirit world by sorcery.
2. They act as a messenger to send and deliver messages to other people who have marupai through the ether of the spirit world.
3. They enable a sorcerer to travel at high speed (fly / magically transport themselves) from one place to another.
4. They bring game such as pigs, possums and cassowary close to the village making them easier to catch.
5. They are used to confuse an enemy during battle, by making an individual appear to be many people or make them appear to be where they are not, so that enemy arrows miss the target.
6. They also have a less savoury use in being able to be sent out to attack and kill an enemy through the spirit world when in the hands of a powerful magician.
7. Some marupai (Overa Hora) were hung from the nose of Hohoa Boards to decorate them.
8. They are sometimes used to control the weather. They can make the weather stormy when the owner is grieving the death of a relative.
According to oral history the Marupai cult originated in Ihu / Orokolo area*. Marupai is the Orokolo/ Ihu name for this object but it is also known as Lai Kakar Re in East Kerema and Kaiya Muru or Naharo in Opau. No doubt it has other names in other languages I have not recorded.
The way a marupai functions is connected to the concept of Imunu. Imunu is an animist belief where all things of significance contain a being, a spirit, a life force or soul sometimes it is inherent and at other times objects can be instilled with this essence. To a Papuan Gulf inhabitant Imunu is very real and tangible; it is not only a conceptualisation
Some Imunu is imbued into a marupai when first made because it was made by an important magician or village chief, while following strict taboos, including fasting and abstinence. The Imunu is then increased through feeding the marupai. Traditionally the simplest way to increase Imunu is through the acquisition of someone else’s Imunu via cannibalism. Marupai had their Imunu increased by feeding dried human flesh teeth or bone into their “mouths” along with magical herbs and bark. Once fed a marupai is hot, charged, filled with Imunu. The owner can then send the spirit of the marupai to do his bidding by ritually evoking its name.
To a person in the Gulf of Papua a marupai that is charged with Imunu is alive, a being unto itself. As a being a marupai has personal needs and therefore needs to be fed regularly, bathed using coconut oil, treated with due respect and revered appropriately.
In former times when the Houseman Eravo was still the centre of village life it was only the most powerful of sorcerers who would openly wear marupai. These marupai were the ones used for less offensive practices like hunting and protection. If a powerful sorcerer advertised he had marupai he was more likely to have people pay him to practise his trade. The vast majority of marupai were and are kept secret being concealed by their owners especially the most dangerous ones, being capable of causing death, for fear of payback.
Due to their power marupai are predominantly only owned by initiated men. It is not uncommon for a man to own more than one marupai and they are usually inherited from an uncle along with the knowledge of how to control them. Individuals who were not lucky enough to inherit a marupai could purchase one from a renowned sorcerer. If an uncle wished his nephew to inherit a marupai but the nephew was not yet old enough, the marupai would be left in the care of the village’s chief sorcerer until he came of age.
Marupai are also commonly put into a string bag okaoka in orokolo and have a large red seed also in a string bag called hepahepa and a piece of bark paiha tied to the bag. Hepahepa is used only when the owner feels in mortal danger at which time he crushes the seed and consumes the pith inside. The seed makes him belligerent and assists in spiritual communication with or through the marupai. The cinnamon smelling paiha bark is the regular food for the marupai and also acts as a tongue-like stopper preventing the contents from spilling.
If the owner of a marupai dies before he has had a chance to bequeath his marupai, it is believed that the marupai also dies with him. It is not unusual for a dead sorcerer to be buried with his marupai. Major damage to the marupai is also believed to cause the marupai to die especially if the shell is so damaged the contents can escape. Removal of the material from within a marupai causes it to become dormant until it is fed again.
DESIGN
Like many of the world’s ancient works of art, Gulf of Papua art is essentially religious in nature. The faces on marupai, hohoa, bullroarers, drums and masks represent particular religious mythical heroes. Not all these ancestral heroes are human with many being able to take the forms of crocodiles, lizards, birds, pigs and even natural phenomena such as whirlpools, they should nevertheless all be considered deities.
The number of these deities throughout the Gulf of Papua probably number around one hundred and are usually mythical heroes from specific clan legends that in the clans distant past performed supernatural feats. These mythical heroes are best identified by the design around the eyes because although other features may differ from object to object a particular mythical hero will always share the identical eye design.
My best analogy would be that the Christian mythical hero St Christopher is depicted in sculptures, paintings, stained glass, icons as well as on talisman. The depiction of St Christopher is of course also associated with specific legend stories / religious beliefs and although the style and format of each depiction varies greatly, we can understand the content within the imagery. Marupai are a New Guinea talisman in so far as they are portable, belong to individuals rather than a group and can be carried on your body.
All marupai have 2 eyes and are as near symmetrical as the carver is able. They are all pierced at the base to allow them to have a piece of string attached so they may be carried. They all have a mouth with a hollow behind in which substances can be placed. They are most commonly made of dwarf coconut but can also be made from wood. Many have a “third eye” or navel because Orokolo people believe that astral travel and spiritual communication occurs through the navel which is why it is also almost always depicted on Hohao / Kwoi boards. The majority of marupai have most of the carving on the upper half and this is because the bottom remains extremely hard and difficult to carve even after the dwarf coconut has been buried in the mud to allow it to soften. The designs on a marupai are clan specific and may not be copied by another clan.
The use of marupai is still on going in the Gulf but it is rapidly dying out as the old spiritual beliefs and practices cease as they are replaced by Christianity. A famous sorcerer also pointed out a more pragmatic reason for the practice of this culture dying and that is, it just isn’t as easy to obtain the flesh of you enemy as it used to be.
In unravelling information about marupai I would like to thank Sebastine Harara who has a vast knowledge of tribal art from the New Guinea Museum, Marepo Karela elder of Kanukabu village, the writing of Albert Maori Kiki and a well-known sorcerer from Novihoho village who does not wish to be named. Rest assured all mistakes, misinterpretations and wrong conclusions are mine.
To collectors of tribal art from New Guinea Marupai are fascinating and lovely little tribal art objects but to the people of the Papuan Gulf they are or at least were something far more significant.
* This has been confirmed by numerous villager from as far away as Hamuhamu village East of Kerema and West as far as Baimaru.
Well tribal art enthusiasts I hope this information is useful. For more I recommend reading the article by Albert Maori Kiki in Gigibori a magazine of Papua New Guinea cultures 1974.
The final group of objects that are made with such superb craftsmanship commonly found are objects used in Warfare and every day utilitarian objects like dishes and spoons.
