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Portfolios%20%3D%20%22391%22%20and%20Sort_Artist%20%3D%20%22Waresi%20artist%22
Sculpture
Spirit Figure (Mindja)
Waresi artist, (active )
Waresi artist
Papua New Guinea
41 3/4 x 9 13/16 x 4 5/16 in. (106 x 25 x 11 cm)
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overall
overall
Wood
Wood
Waresi; made in Upper Sepik River Region, Papua New Guinea
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Oceanic, Oceanic art (Pacific Islands)
Sculpture
The cultivation of yams was central to the lives of the Waresi people; they served as both a ceremonial and staple food. The spirits responsible for their growth (and by extension for the welfare of the community) needed to be properly honored upon the harvest. During the mindja-ma ceremony a basket containing yams was adorned with two of these figures. Mindja were considered to be powerful male water spirits who lived, and were sometimes visible, just below the surface in lakes. This powerful otherworldly being embodies the qualities of humans, plants and animals. The simplified eyes, nose and mouth are based on the human face. The painted diamond shapes symbolize banana leaves, and the projecting triangles that run down the bottom half of the figure represent an undulating snake.
[Gallery label text, 2009]
1974.76
item
Memorial Art Gallery
3/20/2001
glossy
8x10
00/00/00
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negative
4x5
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74.76DI#1
digital image
6/18/2008
http://127.0.0.1:5000/Media/images/74.76_A1.jpg