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Iatmul Crocodile Ritual Implement, Middle Sepik River

Living along the middle reaches of the Sepik River, the Iatmul people were among the most prolific and accomplished of the region’s woodcarvers. Crocodiles played a central role in Iatmul art and culture, where they were intimately connected with origin traditions, male initiation, clan affiliation, and warfare. According to Iatmul origin myths, an ancestral crocodile was responsible for forming the dry land on which humans live. In the beginning, the earth was covered by a primordial ocean, into whose depths the crocodile dived. Reaching the bottom, the crocodile brought up a load of mud on its back. When the animal surfaced, the mud became an island. From this island the land grew and became fixed, though it still rests on the back of the ancestral crocodile, whose occasional movements are the cause of earthquakes.

The remarkable carved ritual element presented here powerfully illustrates another important Iatmul creation myth that describes an ancestral woman named Kwalanambu, who, it was said, pursued the ancestral crocodile, grabbing the animal and copulating with its tail, thus giving birth to twin hero sons who had the power to take the form of a snake and eel. The myth further describes how Kwalanambu carved out the course of the mighty Sepik River, which flowed from a large mythical lake called Mebenbit. Scholars have suggested that this mythical lake likely represents an ancient ancestral memory and references the large saltwater embayment that covered the Sepik Basin region several thousand years ago.

Skillfully carved over a century ago by a master carver, this powerful ritual implement transcends ancient Iatmul origin myths, the sculpture’s dynamic composition providing us a glimpse of the carver’s primordial inner world and artistic genius. A clue to how this ritual implement was utilized by Iatmul men can be found in the function of closely related ceremonial implements originating from neighboring Biwat tribes, which were reported to have been clutched between men’s thighs during initiation ceremonies. Carved from dense Vitex cofassus wood, the sculpture has developed an appealing warm and dark glossy patina resulting from the smoke-filled interiors of the community men’s house and repeated ritual handling.