Sepik Bird Man Amulet Figure
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Fine amulet figure, lower Sepik River area, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. These finely carved small figures are in the form of an anthropomorphic bird men ancestors that represent a category of powerful ancestral beings called waken. Small amulet figures like these were kept by men in small woven bags or even sometimes woven into their beards. They were used for magical purposes such as; love magic, controlling the weather, hunting for wild pigs and cassowaries, to protect the owner and his family from malevolent sorcerers and the spirit world. Carved and engraved hardwood and natural pigments. Provenance: Collected by K. Trueman, Queensland, Australia, 1960s. Private Collection, New South Wales. Approx. length 17.5 cm
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- Amulet - Often inscribed with a magic incantation or symbol, an amulet is an object worn as a charm to protect the wearer from an evil, such as disease or witchcraft.
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