maira-ndu (double ancestor figure), unrecorded Abelam artist

Exhibition Label: "Roots and Journeys: Encountering Global Arts and Cultures," Jul-2011, Nancy Mahaney Human ancestral figures dominate the art of the Sepik River cultures of Papua New Guinea. The Abelam, who are located along the Sepik coast, use a carving style that is more rounded and less naturalistic than other Sepik groups. Abelam carving is typified by an emphasis on the vertical, such as the figures’ long, narrow noses. In its original context the figure would have been brightly painted and repainted as the colors faded, resulting in a thick patina of paint on older carvings. The two hook-like shapes rising over the head of the top figure represent the heads and beaks of hornbills, which are common in Abelam art. Other projecting elements along the piece may represent cassowary (a large, flightless bird) and bone daggers, another male symbol. Primacy is placed on the object’s ritual effectiveness and its totemic power.