Vintage Massim bunukwa(pig) sculpture, Trobriand Islands, Papua New Guinea

Description

Early 20
th
Century,
Massim
Wood Ceremonial
bunukwa
(pig) carving, Trobriand Islands,
Milne BayProvince
,
Papua, NewGuinea
Oceania, Papua New Guinea, from the Massim area of Milne Bay, early 20th century CE.
Skillfully carved wood pigs with an elongated, smooth body, short legs, carefully incised patterns across both animals’ bodies.
This is a stunning example of talismans crafted to represent the value of pigs in traditional Papuan culture.
Both pigs in this scene of procreation are delicately embellished with incised details that identify its origin. The wood is indigenous,tropical hardwood, solid and aged to an amber-brown color. For the Trobriands,conception is inextricably linked to water and the shoreline reflected in the undulating lines. Women held ritual and sexual supremacy over men as the generative force behind human activity. Procreation – the cycle of reincarnation – largely took place by, though, and in water.
Size: 10.5" W x 3.2" H