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Spear thrower ornament, 19th–early 20th century
Wood, ochre
18.5 cm (7 5/16 in.)

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Artist Biography: (none) PROVENANCE: Jolika Collection of New Guinea Art PUBLICATIONS: 2005- "The animal portrayed may be a hornbill, suggested by the ridges on top of the beak and the large round eyes. A similar ornament in the Museum für Volkerkunde, Berlin (Kelm, 1968, vol. 3, no. 429), was collected in Kopar village in 1909 by George Friederici. Other related objects in Berlin were collected further upriver, in Kambaramba (Kumbragrumba) village, in 1912-13 on the Kaiserin-Augusta River Expedition. Another was collected in Awar village on Hansa Bay on the east Ramu coast (Cranstone, 1961, fig. 20). This kind of object is part of a regional style and difficult to localize when there is no collection information. In addition to their decorative value, these spear thrower ornaments added weight and balance when the spear thrower was used. The tradition of such objects in Europe dates to Cro-Magnon times, at least 29,000 BC. The spear throwers are commonly called atlatl, an Amerindian word. They date prior to 10,000 BC in North America. They are also an ancient tradition in Australia. in all cases, they predate the bow and arrow by many centuries." (Catalog #86, New Guinea Art: Masterpieces from the Jolika Collection of Marcia and John Friede, 2005, Volume 2, p. 96.)

Related Keywords
ornament thrower Spear Art Jolika Oceania Province Sepik East Guinea New Sculpture ochre Wood 0308200711540012 A383290 AOA