 |
|
|
Curators' Choices: 20 of 27
|
  |
|
|
Funerary Carving (Malanggan), 19th–20th century, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1972 (1978.412.712)
|
Malanggan rituals and carvings honor the memory of the dead. They are also associated with male initiations during which young men renew the life of the community through symbolically replacing those who have died. This boldly painted image may represent the soul of a deceased human being reborn in the form of a shark.
Location: Immediately to the left on entering the main section of the Oceanic gallery from the African galleries, Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, first floor
|
Back to September 11 main page
Back to all Curators' Choices