Carved face (E61505)

Kalabu village, Maprik sub-province, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. Wood, paint. - In Abelam society, initiations and yam ceremonies are occasions for creating various carvings. This carved face represents either the main ancestral spirit Nggwal or another spirit, and was probably part of a larger display of spirits in the haus tambaran, the central male cult house.