4 / Ceremony and Society
| Artist / Origin |
Kambot (Tin Dama) artist, Karem River, Lower Sepik region, Papua New Guinea
Region: Oceania
|
|---|---|
| Date |
19th century
Period: 1800 CE - 1900 CE
|
| Material |
Wood, paint, and fiber
Medium: Sculpture
|
| Dimensions | H: 8 ft. (2.44 m.) |
| Location | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY |
| Credit | Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller |
expert perspective
| Roy W. HamiltonCurator for Asian and Pacific Collections, Fowler Museum at UCLA |
expert perspective
Roy W. Hamilton
Curator for Asian and Pacific Collections, Fowler Museum at UCLA
“backWe tend to think of marriage or initiation rites for young people, but in societies where these kinds of secret societies, which is what they’re often termed in Africa, or cult groups or religious associations of various types exist, there are often many, many levels of initiation. And in Guinea they talk about this happening once every five years or so, where an adult male is expected to rise to a new level of status by performing certain events in the community. And the dedication of the ceremonial house—of a very elaborate ceremonial house—is the highest achievement. So, the dedication of the ceremonial house reflects greatly on his status and his standing in the community.”