Iatmul Ancestral Spirit Figure from Papua New Guinea

An Iatmul ancestral spirit figure, Sepik, Papua New Guinea. Female figure in slight squatting position, hands on the hips, with bulging abdomen, large face with cowrie inlaid eyes and crowned with feathers. Plaited fibres adorn the ears, nose, wrists, ankles and waist. The face and the abdomen are covered with the representation of scarifications. The sculpture is painted in black, red and white. Traditionally, such figures would be kept inside men's houses, each representing the ancestor of a social group. Height 70.5 cm