Canoe Prow
Artist:
Unknown
Place made:Papua New Guinea
Date: late- 19th-early- 20th century
Medium: Wood
Dimensions:
h. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); w. 25 in. (63.5 cm); d. 9 1/16 in. (23 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Object number: 77.1028
Label Text
In New Guinea, a man will travel a long way up-river to buy a large log. The log is towed back to the village, lifted onto the bank and roughed out the an adze. Fire is used to help burn out the interior and seal the surface against insects. The prow is shaped according to the tradition of the area; additional designs are sometimes carved on the sides, then painted. A canoe lasts approximately five to seven years. When canoes rot, many of the prows are cut off and saved for collectors and dealers.
Canoes are decorated with clan symbols and other emblems of power to ensure speed and success. Along the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea, even the smallest child's canoe has a carved crocodile-head prow. In Irian Jaya, a canoe of the Asmat people may have an ancestral clan figure for a prow, similar to the ones used on their house poles. Canoes from the north coast of Irian Jaya have bird prows. Larger prows, such as the ones on the Trobriand Kula trade canoes or on war or ceremonial canoes, are more complex and contain many different motifs.
Canoes are decorated with clan symbols and other emblems of power to ensure speed and success. Along the Sepik River in Papua New Guinea, even the smallest child's canoe has a carved crocodile-head prow. In Irian Jaya, a canoe of the Asmat people may have an ancestral clan figure for a prow, similar to the ones used on their house poles. Canoes from the north coast of Irian Jaya have bird prows. Larger prows, such as the ones on the Trobriand Kula trade canoes or on war or ceremonial canoes, are more complex and contain many different motifs.
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
