Ceremonial Hut Beam, Papua New Guinea, Oceania, Primitive Art, Oceanic Art

Old ceremonial hut beam collected in the Washkuk Mountains region of Papua New Guinea. This post was part of the frame of a ceremonial hut. This dense wood sculpture is an exceptional piece. The ceremonial huts are regularly rebuilt. The posts, which are more resistant than the lightweight materials constituting the roof, walls and floors, can be reused. However, in the event that these houses are permanently abandoned, it is possible to acquire them, which I did for this specimen. Each post or beam is carved by one of the clans of the village which represents his ancestors and totemic animals. Here an ancestor face and a hornbill bird in the upper part.
Wood, pigments and paints.
Mounted on metal plate.