Artwork
Dagger
DepartmentOceanic Art
CultureIatmul
Datelate- 19th-early- 20th century
MediumBone
Dimensionsl. 14 in. (35.6 cm)
w. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
d. 2 in. (5.1 cm)
w. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm)
d. 2 in. (5.1 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Object number77.1039
GeographyPlace madePapua New Guinea
DescriptionCarved on the shaft with curvilinear ornament and two faces. Cassowary leg bone with incised scrolls, zig zag lines, and mask like faces covering one half of it. One end has been carved into a blade. May have had decorations of feathers, cowrie shells, pig tusks, and fibers. Possible decorations missing.Label TextEach man in the Sepik River Region owns a dagger made of bone, used for fighting, ritual, and prestige display. The material itself represents supernatural power and strength, making these knives valuable. Their shafts are decorated with engraved, incised and sometimes relief carved designs of geometric symbols or birds. Frequently, as with this example, the presence of ancestor figures adds power to the dagger and its owner. Some of these daggers are made from a human femur, but most are fabricated from the tibia of a cassowary, a species of large flightless bird.Exhibition HistorySubscription series: Whispers from the Spirit World, Feb-May 1993On view
Collections
ca. 1922-1923
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.
