Lot #224 - A Spirit Figure (kamanggabi)
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Auction House:Mossgreen
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Sale Name:Australian Indigenous & Oceanic Art
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Sale Date:21 Jul 2015 ~ 6.30pm
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Lot #:224
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Lot Description:A Spirit Figure (kamanggabi)
Mimim Village, Karawari River, East Sepik Provence, Papua New Guinea (early-mid twentieth century)
carved wood
251 cm high -
Provenance:Peter Halinan, Papua New Guinea (cat. no. H543); Private Collection, Melbourne
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Notes:According to Hallinan's field notes these carvings originate from a village called Mimim on the Arpundio River, the left branch of the Karawari River. Hallinan collected the carvings at Yimas Village from Benny Akuri who advised him that the carvings came from the Alanblak area (electoral sub-area) in the Karawari River. According to Benny Akuri, 'In the past we were not able to communicate with the people of the Alanblack area because of the language barrier. In receiving these two carvings we were then able to speak and understand each others language. This one leg carving is important and has a traditional story for the Alanblack people. Originally it was not from the Alanblack, it came from a village called Mimim which is situated along the Arapundio River (left branch of Karawari). This carving is used during warefare and tribal fights or to kill enemies. One of the figures is male and the other is female. The difference it the heart size. The female job is to stay home, cook food and look after the male' (Hallinan's field notes). These carvings are classic examples of the one-legged male figures, called Aripa or Kamanggabi, which were kept in caves and used in hunting magic. The carvings of the Karawari caves first came to the attention of the artworld in the late 1960s, when people began to bring the carvings out of their caves and sell them to westerners'.
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Estimate:A$8,000 - 12,000
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Realised Price:
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Category:Tribal
This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.
