Wooden war shield
Ref : Asmat 69
Collected in central Asmat in the early 80's , 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 and arms in the front holding an ennemy skull and the rest of the body in the back. The
designs are bold and uncluttered, the edge of the shield is pierced and
decorated with sago-frond tassels.Size: 180 x 55 cm
Estimated age : 1970
