House Post

The imposing men’s ceremonial houses of the Iatmul people of the Middle Sepik River region in northeast New Guinea are supported by large wood posts. These house posts portray a variety of animals, human-like images, and geometric motifs, which represent primordial beings and phenomena drawn from the oral traditions of the clans associated with the house. This work is the upper portion of an Iatmul house post, probably one of a row of several similar posts originally positioned along the long axis of the ceremonial house to support the main roof beam. The face on the top likely represents a windjembu, a type of tree spirit that communicates with the human world by speaking through the mouth of a religious specialist, when he is in a deep trance. The face is flanked by remnants of crocodile images. The wave-like patterns below, which also likely covered the missing lower portion of the post, represent the primordial waters of the early creation period.