Pacific Oceanic Art Trobriand Mother Pearl Crocodile Alligator Hand Carving 1A40
Item History & Price
Item 1A40, in our inventory, a crocodile seenon most of the pictures, size: 18" X 3" X 1 1/2" price.Spendid example of melanesian art. Greatunique original carving with mother of pearl inlays collected direct in theremote Trobiand islands. In these islands which arerarely visited, outside influence is at a minimum. The extremely skilledcarvers inspire themselves from what is around them as they have access tonothing else: the natives, birds, fish, pigs, marine turtles, snakes andw...hatever they see in their dreams such as dragons or mystical figures. Very Rare item: South Pacific OceanicArtMelanesia Massim KulaTrobriand hand carved wood(with inlays ofmother of pearl) Crocodile alligator carvingSignof power and strength.Spendid example of melanesian art. Great unique original carving with mother of pearl inlays This is a beautifulcompletely hand carved hand crafted Melanesian (remote Massim region) piece seen on most of the photos from the isolated Massim region north of papua new Guinea , beautifully carved by a local master carver with rudimentary tools. Amazingly perfectconsidering the basic tools used such as pieces of broken shells, rusted nailsfrom shipwrecks found on the beaches, and sea ray, shark skin or an animal hornor tusk rubbed for days against the surface till all is smooth, among othersanding materials, and to produce a sheen on the wood. Some of these items havevery important meanings as they are used as part of the Kula ring trade systemthat has existed between the islands for centuries.The Kula ring is a systemof exchange involving annual inter-island visits between trading partners whoexchange highly valued shell ornaments and other things during year long seatravels.In his Argonauts of theWestern Pacific (1922), Malinowski analyzed the kula ring, the exchange of shellvaluables between islands. These ornaments were traded from island to island ina counter-clockwise direction:A long time ago when the days were longer andthe nights shorter lived a hero called Tava who at times took the form of asnake. Tava was known to pass between the villages that are identified as partof the active kula trade ring . When he was present in a village the peoplewere said to have good fortune and prosper. His location was known only to onewoman in each village and she would feed and tend to him. If he felt mistreatedor betrayed at any time he would move on to the next island. On his departingthe good fortune would also depart with him. He would nevertheless leave eachvillage with a trade.This trade ranged from asurplus of pigs and yams in the Trobriands to the fine art or pottery found inthe Amphletts. Other places became known for obsidian and Betel nut. It isbelieved that this myth could be one of the origins of the Kula ring and theway it functions. Kula is a ritualized trading culture existing in eastern PNGwhich the Trobriands are part of. It is essentially a network of villages onislands joined by a common trade route, known as the Kula ring . By analogy, Kula allows you to experience the magic and legends of each island . Kula wasand still is a life sustaining cultural exchange.Kula is the basis of mentaland physical well-being. The trade has always been associated with makingcontact with far off neighbors. Traditionally originally two kinds of itemswere traded; arm bands carved from the toea shell know as Mwali and spondylusshell necklaces, Soulava. Each of these items was traded individually. Mwaliand Soulava traveled in opposite directions around the (group of islands).Mwali passed anticlockwise in the ring and were given with the right hand, theSoulava passed clockwise and was offered with the left hand, first betweenvillages then from island to island. Such items are collected bythe indigenous people of the most primitive areas of Papua New Guinea.These proudpeople have managed, in the face of continued government and missionarypressure, to maintain a culture of incredible depth and beauty. For the mostpart, they still live by the same methods as have existed in their remote landfor thousands of years.We go straight to the source to find these treasures These beautiful art piecesare rare items of the Kula ring. We collected many beautiful pieces while in the Trobriands fromcarvings (created out of kwila, rosewood and ebony) to costumes, drums and Kularing exchange items that we will list whenever we have time. Check Dominique Rice Oceania Store in SunSentinel Newspaper, Fort Lauderdale, for information on our collection andauthentic art.All our collector and rareitems come with pages and pages of research about provenance, and with historyof the tribes and photos as well, depending on item and whenever possible. Whenshipping internationally, we group ship multiple purchases to save you money, and find the best rates available. If you have anyquestions or want to see research conducted on this piece and photos of tribes, let us knowWe have artifacts andarchitectural accents up to 10 ft tall that we will put on upon request becauseshipping has to be calculated accordingly with trucking company.
