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Ceremonial carving, Mindja, 18th–19th century
Wood, pigment
200 x 36 x 20 cm (78 3/4 x 14 3/16 x 7 7/8 in.)
The Marcia and John Friede Collection, a Promised Gift to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco L05.1.89

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Artist Biography: (none) PROVENANCE: "Walter Randel Collection, New York." (Catalog #328, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 136.) PUBLICATIONS: 2005 - "Mindja carvings were employed in the second phase of the sacred yam ceremonies, mindjama, of the Washkuk Hills people. They usually represented water spirits and were used in pairs in November, at the beginning of the wet season. They were placed together with many yams in a conical pile in the ceremonial house. See Newton, 1971: 87, 101, and 102; see also Kaufmann, 1968: 96-101; and Bowden, 1983: 73-77. This carving was stated by Christian Kaufmann to be a generation earlier than the related ones in the Museum der Kulturen, Basel. See Kaufmann, 1980, fig. 114. Newton also states that the Mayo mindja carvings, like those of the Kwoma, were large and had concave faces, unlike the flat smaller version of the Nukuma (Newton, 1971: 87 and 90)." (Catalog #328, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 136.)

Related Keywords
Mindja carving Ceremonial Francisco San Museums Arts Fine Gift Promised 136 p 2 Volume 2005 Friede John Marcia Jolika Masterpieces Art 328 Catalog York Randel Walter Kwoma related closely people Mayo village Yasyiu Yessan Oceania Province Sepik East Guinea New Papua Melanesia Sculpture pigment Wood 0709200406050391 A361004 L05.1.89 AOA