In Tok Pisin, the national language of Papua New Guinea, the word kastom (derived from the English custom) coveys the full body of traditional practices and understandings inherited from the ancestors. Those who follow kastom are alert to a natural world of spirits that surrounds their communities and influences their daily lives.
Much of the art of Papua New Guinea relates to this spirit world. Since kastom is unwritten, works of art form an important means of recalling and transmitting knowledge about spirits and their place in ritual. Among the examples on view are paintings that depict stories of spirits, masks that people wear during ceremonies to impersonate spirits, and even instruments that make the sounds of the spirit beings.
The oldest works shown here were made with stone tools at a time before modernization began to impact communities in New Guinea and kastom had no rival. More recent items were made by artists who were fully aware of the growing international markets for their arts.
Object Name: Ceremonial house painting
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Iatmul peoples
Place of Origin: Tambanum village, Middle Sepik River, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Date/Era: Early or mid-20th century
Medium/Materials: Sago palm (Metroxylon sagu) spathe, pigment, wood, bamboo, plant fiber
Dimensions: L: 243 cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Kennedy.
Accession Number: X63.642
Object Name: Ngwaalndu figure, clan ancestor spirit
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Abelam peoples
Place of Origin: Maprik district, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Date/Era: Mid- to late 19th century
Medium/Materials:
Dimensions: H: 165 cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Kennedy.
Accession Number: X64.599
Object Name: Mask (bapa tagwa or bapa kumbu)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Abelam peoples
Place of Origin: Maprik district, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Date/Era: Mid-20th century
Dimensions: H: 40.6 cm
Medium/Materials: Plant fiber, pigment, feathers
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Kennedy.
Accession Number: X64.686
Object Name: Female figure
Artist: Unknown
Place of Origin: Murik Lakes, Coastal Sepik region, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Date/Era: 19th century or earlier
Medium/Materials: Wood
Dimensions: H: 70 cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. George Kennedy.
Accession Number: X64.715
Object Name: Yam-harvest ritual figure (yina)
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Kwoma peoples
Place of Origin: Ambunti Mountains, Middle Sepik River, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Date/Era: Circa 1920s
Medium/Materials: Wood, pigment
Dimensions: H: 116 cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hursley.
Accession Number: X64.843
Object Name: Shield
Artist: Unknown
Culture: Iatmul peoples
Place of Origin: Middle Sepik River, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Date/Era: Late 19th century or earlier
Medium/Materials: Wood, pigment
Dimensions: H: 158 cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA.
Accession Number: X65.4326
Object Name: Sago storage jar (au)
Artist: Unknown
Cultural Group: Iatmul peoples
Place of Origin: Aibom, Chambri Lakes, Middle Sepik River, Papua New Guinea
Dimensions: H: 56.00 cm, DIAM: 54.00 cm
Materials Used: Unglazed earthenware, pigment
Credit Line and Accession Number: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wallace M. Ruff Trust. X89.705
Object Name: Mask
Artist: Unknown
Place of Origin: Lower or Coastal Sepik region, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea
Date/Era: 19th century or earlier
Dimensions: H: 48 cm
Medium/Materials: Wood, paint
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Franklin D. and Judith H. Murphy.
Accession Number: X96.8.43