Figure, One of a Pair
Not on view
One of a matched pair of male and female figures from the New Guinea Highlands made from fiber and dressed in miniature versions of customary clothing. The eyes and teeth of both figures are made from nassa shells (Nassarius arcularius). The female figure wears a hood-like netted headdress whose edges are decorated with Job’s tears (Coix lacryma-jobi). These seeds are also incorporated into multiple necklaces which are strung around her neck, some hanging as low as the waist, above her fiber belt and skirt of shredded leaves. Her body is painted light gray.