Oceania, Vanuatu, Malukula resp. Tomman Island. Ca. middle 20th c. Folk group of Letemboi. Skull, plant fibers, earth pigments, feathers, shells, spider webs. The elongated occipital of the skull was covered with fur, the face coated with earth pigments and plant fibers. The elongated calotte speaks of the fact that this was a person from higher social standing. To the side the skull is decorated with long feathers and three shells as reference to the status of the person. The Nampugi mask with her protruding eyes symbolizes death and represents the deceased until his own skull is ready for processing.
The reworked skulls were placed on life-size figures called ramparamp. In many cultures in the Pacific, the head is considered the seat of the soul and is for this reason as a relic after death. Skull/mask: Height 17/33cm, width 13/15cm, depth 22/27cm. For the skull an old stand, for the mask a bamboo stick as support. Condition A/B.
Provenance: -Collection Detlef Rosen, Düsseldorf.
Literature: -Joachim Schliesinger: Traditional Headhunting in Southeast Asia and Beyond. Digitized, White Elephant Press. 2017, p. 77-79. -Antony JP Meyer: Oceanic Art., Cologne, 1995, p. 425, No. 481.