Wooden ceremonial Asmat war shield
Ref : Asmat 130
Collected in central Asmat during a journey in Asmat territory in 2007
, the design on this shield depict
S-shaped motifs called "eu wow" (eu means crocodile, wow
means
woodcarving). The S-shape refers to a line along which the belly of a
crocodile - or the belly of a head-hunting victim - was cut open. This
line encloses, as it were, the soft part of the abdomen. At the top of
the shield an ancestor figure with
the head in the front while the rest of
the body is well covered in the back from ennemy dards and spears. The
designs are bold and uncluttered, the edge of the shield is pierced and
decorated with sago-frond tassels.Size: 201 x 99 cm / 79 x 39 inches
Estimated age : 2005
