Female statuette
Indonesia, Papua province
Asmat. First half of the 20th century
Wood, pigments. H 56 cm
Acquired from Mr Krebs in 1962
MEG Inv. ETHOC 031224
Notice
These statuettes play an important role in the yeu pokmbu fests on the occasion of the inauguration of a new ceremonial house, a place for meeting and discussion. This ceremony includes a re-enactment of the myth of Fumeripitsj, the first being on Earth. As he was lonely, he carved human figures, which he put in the ceremonial house and animated by beating a drum.
Bibliography
- Van Renselaar, H.C. [1956]. Asmat : art from Southwest New Guinea. [Amsterdam] : Royal Tropical Institute, MEG Carl-Vogt, OC 341/1
- 1962. Bulletin Annuel Musée d'ethnographie de Genève (1962). Genève : Société des amis du Musée d'ethnographie, No 5, p. 34, MEG Carl-Vogt, PME 21
© 2015 Musée d'ethnographie, Genève
Ville de Genève, Département de la culture et du sport