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War dagger, 19th–early 20th century
Human bone, cowrie shell, fiber
34.9 x 6.4 x 6.4 cm (13 3/4 x 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.)
The Marcia and John Friede Collection, a Promised Gift to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco L05.1.272

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Artist Biography: (none) PROVENANCE: "Collected by Douglas Newton. Douglas Newton Collection, New York." (Catalog #331, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 137.) EXHIBITIONS: 1991 - The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1991, "New Guinea Bone Carvings." PUBLICATIONS: 2005 - "In the Sepik region in general, "the bones used for daggers are sometimes human femurs but more frequently that of "Cassowary tibiotarsi" (Newton, 1989: 307). Among the Kwoma, on the other hand, the daggers were usually made of human bone (Kaeppler, Kaufmann, and Newton, 1997: 581) and "a man inherited the femurs of his father after the corpse was reduced to a skeleton" (Netwon, 1989: 307). In some areas (e.g. Yimam) however, these daggers were sometimes made from the femur of a slain enemy (ibid.). A typical aspect of Kwoma daggers is that "the engravings cover the entire cylinder of the shaft" (ibid., 320, caption fig. 27). The designs on Kwoma ceremonial paintings and pottery (ibid., 321) and also on Kwoma shields (see Newton, 1971, fig. 183) and "on yina heads, at the base of the back of the neck," a reference to actual practice, as such daggers "were worn on this part of the body as adornment by eminent men" (Kaufman, 1997: 581)." (Catalog #331, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 137.)

Related Keywords
dagger War Francisco San Museums Arts Fine Gift Promised 137 p 2 Volume 2005 Friede John Marcia Jolika Masterpieces Art 331 Catalog York Newton Douglas by Collected people Kwoma Oceania Province Sepik East Guinea New Papua Melanesia Armor Arms fiber shell cowrie bone Human 1217200409230013 A361187 L05.1.272 AOA