Personnage masculin, avec un visage dans le dos. Bois incisé et peint, imitation de coquillage en bois, [peau d'écureuil volant ?], barbe de cheveux humains, ceinture et bracelets végétaux tressés.
"Image d'ancêtre-fondateur d'un clan sous un aspect spécifique: la peau montre toutes les scarifications de l'initié qui rapproche celui-ci du crocodile, ancêtre créateur non seulement du clan mais aussi de tous les vrais humains (ceux liés au groupe propre). Le visage souligne très probablement l'aspect "waken", c'est-à-dire de communication chamanique entre l'ancêtre et quelques individus aptes à être possédés par l'ancêtre." (texte de Christian Kaufmann, avril 1994) -- "Arts océaniens" (Prés pct. 1994-95, n° 14)
Suspendu dans la maison des hommes, il représente les différentes formes par lesquelles se manifeste l'ancêtre mythique.
"In the area of the Middle Sepik and its southern tributaries suspension hooks are frequently found. They hang in both dwelling and cult houses, and serve profane as well as ceremonial purposes. Their figurative execution gives no indication of their function. The representations include human and animal figures, which refer to the clan-specific mythology of the owner. In the family houses the hooks are used for hanging up food in net bags, protected from rats and dirt. The hooks which hang in the cult houses serve both ceremonial purposes and utilitarian ones, like hanging up bags of sago flatbreads. Some have a similar function to the aripa and yipwon figures of the Ewa and the Yimar along the Upper Karawari River. They too - or rather, the wagen spirits represented by them - are activated before raids. The most important wagen, those responsible for the welfare of the entire village community, have their own attendant, who alone can become possessed by them and in this trance-state will
speak in their name. The wagen is activated by giving his attendant a chicken and some betel nuts. These gifts are hung up on the proper hook and are then eaten by the attendant. Only then can the wagen spirit truly enter into this man and through him communicate with the people. The hooks which hang in family houses usually serve only mundane purposes but can also be activated in this way. They represent subordinate, clan-specific wagen, activated for the clan's internal affairs. An unusual form is found in cat. no. 95 which has only a single hook, a form rare in the Middle Sepik area. Horizontally designed hooks (cat. no. 97) are only found around the lower middle course of the Sepik and along the Blackwater and Karawari rivers. Such hooks are often thought of as skull holders, but this mode of use appears impossible because of the close setting of the tines. According to a verbal communication from Prof. A. Bühler to Schefold 1), the horizontal hooks serve the same purpose as the others which are used in rituals. Only in form do they show a certain resemblance to the skull racks of the Western Iatmul and the Sawos (cat. nos. 79,80).
1) Schefold. R. 1966. Versuch einer Stilanalyse der Aufhängehaken vom mittleren Sepik in Neu-Guinea. Basler Beiträge zur Ethnologie 4. Basel." (cat Greub, pp. 191-192)"
"."
Chr.K., Arts océaniens (Prés pct. 1994-95, n° )
)
