Massim Culture, Trobriand Islands, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
19 th century
Length: 17.75 inches (45 cm)
English private collection
Situated in the Southeastern most province of Papua New Guinea, the Massim archipelago extends easterly to include the Trobriand Islands, a chain of verdant palm-lined coral atolls situated some ninety miles off the coast. Massim culture was renowned for its highly skilled carvers and its ancient inter-island ceremonial exchange network known as the Kula ring. In this vast maritime network, Massim men traveled hundreds of miles across open ocean to participate in a complex system of exchange involving ritual shell currencies and other valuables traded between their home village and a scattering of diverse and distant Kula trading communities.
Central to this exchange network were large profusely decorated seagoing canoes known as waga. Projecting forwards from the prow of these vessels was the tabuya, a highly stylized and intricately carved wave splitter designed to efficiently cleave the incoming ocean swells while also providing spiritual protection for the vessel and crew. The tabuya worked in tandem with the canoe’s splashboard or lagim to deflect heavy ocean spray, thereby preventing the canoe from taking on water during the long ocean passages. The tabuya and lagim, often festooned with rows of white cowrie shells, also served to beautify the canoe and were intended to captivate onlookers when they arrived at host islands where the Kula exchange was to take place. The aesthetic qualities of well-executed canoe woodcarvings were believed to enchant Kula partners, softening their minds and persuading them to surrender their most prized shell valuables. When a fleet of waga approached a distant island, the tabuya served as a primary means of identification; the specific carving patterns and structural form instantly signaling to the hosting community the exact origins of the arriving voyagers. Furthermore, the canoe’s tabuya were imbued with ritual magic or mwasila. Before embarking, a canoe magician chanted spells over the prows to instill in them apotropaic qualities believed to ward off flying witches or yoyowa that preyed upon shipwrecked crews and also instilling the great waga canoes with supernatural lightness and swiftness.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Massim Culture, Trobriand Islands, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea
19 th century
Length: 17.75 inches (45 cm)
English private collection
Situated in the Southeastern most province of Papua New Guinea, the Massim archipelago extends easterly to include the Trobriand Islands, a chain of verdant palm-lined coral atolls situated some ninety miles off the coast. Massim culture was renowned for its highly skilled carvers and its ancient inter-island ceremonial exchange network known as the Kula ring. In this vast maritime network, Massim men traveled hundreds of miles across open ocean to participate in a complex system of exchange involving ritual shell currencies and other valuables traded between their home village and a scattering of diverse and distant Kula trading communities.
Central to this exchange network were large profusely decorated seagoing canoes known as waga. Projecting forwards from the prow of these vessels was the tabuya, a highly stylized and intricately carved wave splitter designed to efficiently cleave the incoming ocean swells while also providing spiritual protection for the vessel and crew. The tabuya worked in tandem with the canoe’s splashboard or lagim to deflect heavy ocean spray, thereby preventing the canoe from taking on water during the long ocean passages. The tabuya and lagim, often festooned with rows of white cowrie shells, also served to beautify the canoe and were intended to captivate onlookers when they arrived at host islands where the Kula exchange was to take place. The aesthetic qualities of well-executed canoe woodcarvings were believed to enchant Kula partners, softening their minds and persuading them to surrender their most prized shell valuables. When a fleet of waga approached a distant island, the tabuya served as a primary means of identification; the specific carving patterns and structural form instantly signaling to the hosting community the exact origins of the arriving voyagers. Furthermore, the canoe’s tabuya were imbued with ritual magic or mwasila. Before embarking, a canoe magician chanted spells over the prows to instill in them apotropaic qualities believed to ward off flying witches or yoyowa that preyed upon shipwrecked crews and also instilling the great waga canoes with supernatural lightness and swiftness.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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