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Initiation hair ornament, early 20th century
Wood fiber, black palm wood, pigment
22 x 16 x 9 cm (8 11/16 x 6 5/16 x 3 9/16 in.)
The Marcia and John Friede Collection, a Promised Gift to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco L05.1.40

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Artist Biography: (none) PROVENANCE: Jolika Collection of New Guinea Art PUBLICATIONS: 2005 - "According to Daniel Penny (personal communication), this type of hair ornament had been used in Kwoma initiation ceremonies that have not been performed since World War II. Despite this information, it is possible that the ornament derives from the Wosera subgroup of the Western Abelam. Dirk Smidt (personal communication) cites a Wosera hair ornament or "decorative comb"; see Meyer, 1995, fig. 310. The concept of the diamond-shaped openork part of this ornament also may be compared with several Southern Abelam (Wosera) wickerwork masks, both tey type worn by masqueraders and those used as yam masks (see Hauser-Schäublin, 1984, fig. 6; and 1989: 73), where this motif projects dramatically forward in open space as some sort of enlarged "nose." There are also a Wosera baba and two yam masks that have this motif incorporated in the McGuigan-Smidt collection (1987) at the Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden, nos. 5526-57, 96, and 97 (Dirk Smidt, personal communication)." (Catalog #330, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 136.)

Related Keywords
ornament hair Initiation Francisco San Museums Arts Fine Gift Promised Friede John Marcia Art Jolika subgroup Wosera Abelam Mountains Alexander Prince people Kwoma prob Oceania Province Sepik East Guinea New object Ritual pigment palm black painted then shape star This coil technique using design into bent fiber woven basketry elaborate an which wood carved comb section main 0709200406050308 A360955 L05.1.40 AOA