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Woman's Mourning Costume, Kabu, 19th–early 20th century
Dendrobium orchid (Nagol) and grass fiber, fiber skirt
172 x 36 x 17 cm (67 11/16 x 14 3/16 x 6 11/16 in.)
Gift of Marcia and John Friede in honor of Diane B. Wilsey and Harry S. Parker III 2007.44.42

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Artist Biography: (none) PROVENANCE: "Collected by Petrus Drabbe, m.s.c., between 1947-52, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Tilburg, The Netherlands." (Catalog #512, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 172.) EXHIBITIONS: 2005 - New Guinea Art. Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede. De Young Museum, San Francisco, 2005. PUBLICATIONS: 2009 FAM Bulletin entry (unabridged) - "On the morning of the funerary rite called Makan hawn, Marind-anim children decorate themselves with festive paints while adults covered themselves with clay and put on mourning costumes. (1) The widow or sister of the deceased wears a special costume, or kabu, over her head to prevent passersby from looking at her and she from looking at them. (2) This hood is one component of a kabu. An exquisite geometric pattern with zigzag lines separates the hood into rhythmic diamond and triangular forms, and its golden-hued orchid fiber glows next to muted brown and white pigments. The young lead a processional through the gardens, coconut groves, and other places the deceased visited during his lifetime. The adults follow behind. At each location, women scatter betel nuts, lime, and sago and shed many tears. (3) “It is touching…in harmony with the fact that…the women, have private rather then public and ceremonial ties with the deceased.” (4) There are only a few Marind-Anim ceremonies in which women fulfill major roles. (5) A Catholic missionary named Petrus Drabbe collected this Marind-Anim textile between 1947 and 1952, though he spent most of his time further north with the Kamoro. Drabbe is responsible for the most complete works in Kamoro language today including a dictionary, a collection of folktales, a book of grammar, and catechism lessons in various dialects. (6)" FOOTNOTES (1) Dr. J. Van Baal, Dema: Description and Analysis of Marind-anim Culture (South New Guinea) (The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1966), 795. (2) Christian Kaufmann in Jill D'Alessandro and Christina Hellmich, “Twined and Looped: New Guinea Fibre Masterworks,” Hali (Issue 151), 68. (3) Van Baal, Dema, 796. (4) Van Baal, Dema, 797. (5) Van Baal, Dema, 169-170. (6) Todd S. Harple, Controlling the Dragon: An ethno-historical analysis of social engagement among the Kamoro of South-West New Guinea (Indonesian Papua/Irian Jaya), PhD Dissertation (Department of Anthropology, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University, Canberra, 2000), 3. 2005 - "This object is an example of the finest textile work that was done on the island of New Guinea. According to Wirz (1922: 119), the Yei-nan (Yei-anim, Jee-anim) had developed the art of plaiting to a very high level. This is particularly demonstrated by the kabu, the mourning costume for women that is characterized by a great variety of designs and the additional use of orchid fiber. Marind-anim "widow's capes" often incorporated wool, which was obtained from missionaries, even before 1900, although this one apparently does not. For excellent field photographs, see Wirz, 1922, pl. 22, no. 3; and Geurtjens, 1934, opp. 48 and 64. See also Wirz, 1922, pl. 40, figs. 1-3." (Catalog #512, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 172.)

Related Keywords
Woman's III Parker Harry Wilsey B Diane honor Gift 172 p 2 Volume 2005 Friede John Marcia Jolika Masterpieces Art 512 Catalog Netherlands Tilburg Heart Sacred Missionaries 52 1947 between c s m Drabbe Petrus by Collected subgroup Jee nan Yei people anim Marind Oceania Jaya Irian Papua West Guinea New object Ritual skirt grass Nagol Dendrobium pigments white brown muted fiber orchid hued golden forms triangular diamond rhythmic into design separates lines zigzag pattern Geometric costume mourning kabu component one only hood This 0709200406050461 A361059 2007.44.42 AOA