| |
 |
Humans probably arrived on New
Guinea, the second largest island (after Greenland) in
the world, about 50,000 years ago. Their history there is
marked by brutal intertribal warfare, with headhunting
and cannibalism. The art of the peoples of the
island celebrated this warrior culture. They carved
powerful and frightening images on their shields canoe
paddles and ceremonial poles.
The eastern side of the island
became the independent nation of New Guinea in 1975.
Irian Jaya was under Dutch control from 1828 until the
Indonesians took over the province in 1962.
Although the two halves are
separate political entities now, the art made by the
islands' peoples have striking similarities. For the
first time, Mingei now has examples of carvings from both
sides of the island.
From the Asmat of the southern
swamplands of Irian Jaya, we have an assortment of
shields, several with painted backs. When the Indonesians
took control of the province in the 1960's, the
government outlawed the celebration of war in Asmat art
in an effort to quell the headhunting that still
occurred. The United Nations and a Catholic organization
then worked with the government and the Asmat to create
craft co-ops to keep traditional carving techniques
alive. Through these coops, the Asmat carve hardwoods and
their sacred mangrove wood into traditional forms, and
rub them with charcoal, red clay and crushed sea shells,
as they have always done.
From New Guinea, we now have an
assortment of carvings, from small figures and models of
skulls, to decorative masks and war clubs, some decorated
with boars? teeth and bone and shell. We believe
these carvings are from the mid Sepik valley, an area
renowned for its art. ¨
|
