Dugong Hunting Charm
Many western Pacific peoples hunt dugongs, large marine mammals related to the manatee. To provide supernatural aid in the capture of the often elusive animals, peoples in the Torres Strait Islands and some Kiwai groups on the south coast of New Guinea, formerly created dugong hunting charms. By day, dugongs were hunted from canoes. The charms, mounted in the bow, were said to attract or point in the direction of the quarry. In some areas, dugong were hunted at night from offshore platforms on which the hunter stood, harpoon in hand. A dugong charm, suspended beneath the platform, helped to lure the animals within range. This charm depicts a dugong, with its drooping muzzle, together with the head of a bird, possibly the totemic species of its owner.
Artwork Details
- Title: Dugong Hunting Charm
- Date: 19th century
- Geography: Australia or Papua New Guinea, Torres Strait, Torres Strait or Fly River region
- Culture: Kiwai people
- Medium: Wood
- Dimensions: W. 6 × D. 1 × L. 24 3/8 in. (15.2 × 2.5 × 61.9 cm)
- Classification: Wood-Sculpture
- Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1961
- Object Number: 1978.412.769
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
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