On View
On viewObject number2002.25
Hair Ornament from a Flute Figure (manyan)
Artist
Oceanic, Unknown Artist
(Oceanic)
Daten.d.
Mediumwood, mother of pearl shell inlay, red and white pigment
DimensionsOverall: 20 1/16 × 3 × 3 1/2 in. (51 × 7.6 × 8.9 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Masco Corporation
Exhibition History"Lasting Legacy: A Collection for Kalamazoo," Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, Kalamazoo, Michigan (Sep. 6, 2014 - Jan. 4, 2015).
"Unveiling American Genius," KIA Permanent Collection Exhibition, Traditional, Markin, Nay and Groos Galleries (March 1, 2021 - December 31, 2023).Label TextThe intricate carving of this elaborate hair ornament is intended to be viewed in profile. Its abstract forms represent several animals important to the Biwat people of Papua, New Guinea. The head of the ornament is a hornbill bird, related to the soul and ancestor/spirit world and sacred to peoples throughout Oceania. At the bottom are the three-toed feet and legs of the flightless Cassowary bird. A crocodile, revered by the Biwat as the Great Mother who created the world, is placed vertically along the back.
Hair ornaments like this may have adorned the feather “hair” of a carved ancestral spirit figure attached to ceremonial bamboo flutes. They were also worn by dancers at rituals and ceremonies.
