Magical hook for warfare

In Oceania, some hooks were used for keeping food out of the reach of rodents while others, of a sacred nature, were kept in ceremonial houses. It is particularly in the Sepik region that suspension hooks bearing the head of Janus were carved. This piece features curved motifs unique to the Iatmul people. The figure, with its stylised face, half-man, half-bird, represents a clan ancestor or mythical hero with a protective role, its spirit meant to protect its owner in time of war. It is likely that two bunches of areca nuts were hung from this hook in a symmetrical fashion, one on the left to bring about the defeat of enemies, and the other on the right to bring a warrior luck. In the centre, a magical stone was placed in a fibrous bag, a bilum, symbolising the division of the cosmos and the balance of the complementary forces (male and female, the living and the dead).