Abelam
Ancestral Figure Surmounting a Cassowary Bird’sHead (Ngwalndu)
Abelam (Western), mid-late 1950s
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Abelam
Ancestral Figure Surmounting a Cassowary Bird’sHead (Ngwalndu)
Abelam (Western), mid-late 1950s
Physical Qualities
Wood, pigments, 64 x 15 9/16 in. (162.5 x 39.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of The Hecht Company
Object Number
1964.2.19
Wooden posts, sometimes carved in a standardized human form, are used by the Abelam to contain or represent many types of spirits (see photo). Among these spirits are the Ngwalndu, who are responsible for promoting the welfare and fertility of the people and their yams and pigs. Ngwalndu are kept inside the Men’s Houses, which are the focus of activities such as debates and ceremonies. The bird is an ancestral figure for the clan that owned it.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift 1964; the Hecht Company
"Exhibition of New Guinea Art", February 1964, The Hecht Company, Baltimore Maryland
"The Sculpture of Primitive Peoples", October 23rd-December 11th 1966, Mary Washington College Virginia.
"The Sculpture of Primitive Peoples", October 23rd-December 11th 1966, Mary Washington College Virginia.
