Melanesian Artefacts:

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Bena Chest Ornament (Eastern Highlands):
Eastern Highlands Chest Ornament (ML0205) Eastern Highlands Chest Ornament (ML0205)
Text
Description Map
A New Guinea chest ornament (fofona)
made up of woven fibre mat strips edged with nassa shells and hanging horizontal bar with egg cowry shell at each end. Three double vertical strips painted alternatively with red and blue paint.; weathered matt patina. Material: fibre, shell, paint; 400mm long x 320mm wide.
Provenance:
Private collection (collected in the field in the early 1960s).
Fofona are insignia of male initiation. Worn on the chest but occasionally worn as a back ornament as a ceremonial decoration.
Discussion:
See 'Edmundson 1999' - pp.102-3; fig.11; pp.31; pl.16 for a description of a fofona and its function and a black and white photograph of a highlands man wearing two on his back.
See 'Stohr 1971' - pp. 148 for a black and white photograph of a man wearing a fofona on his chest.
Artefact Code: ML0205 References

Map: Text

New Guinea showing the region of the Gogodala people between the Aramia River and the Fly River Estuary

Map 1: New Guinea and the region of the Bena and Kamano peoples in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea

Detail of wrapper of COLOURFUL PAPUA NEW GUINEA by James Sinclair
References


References: Top

Edmundson, Anna & Chris Boylan. ADORNED - Traditional Jewellery and Body Decoration. From Australia and the Pacific. BNo. 0-909635-36-6 First Edition, 1999 (pb) 112p; 295mm x 205mm; 0.65kg. 34 col, 65 b/w, 1 map. Preface, ethnographic info, Bibliography, acknowledgments. Macleay Museum, University of Sydney, Sydney, 1999. (The book looks at some of the many ways of adorning the human body, bringing together a wide range of nineteenth and twentieth century artefacts from the indigenous art traditions of Australia and the Pacific) (Ethnology, Kimberley, Bathurst Island, Torres Strait, Simbu, Morobe, Irian Jaya).
Stohr, Waldemar. MELANESIEN. Schwarze Inseln der Sudsee. BNo. n/a. First Edition, 1971 (pb). Pp: 224; 260mm x 210mm; 0.82kg. 12 col (fp), 454 b/w & fig, 4 maps. Vorwort, verzechnis der ausgestellten Werke, bildnachweis, literatur. Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museums fur Volkerkunde, Stadt Koln, 1971. (All text is in the German. This book accompanied an exhibition which was held in Koln between November 1971 and January 1972 and displayed artefacts from the museum at Koln and other museums throughout Europe. This book also contains many photographs of artefacts, people and ritual ceremonies from the various regions in Melanesia) (Keywords: Santa-Cruz Inseln, Marind-Anim, Kilenge Distrikt, Huon-Golf, Inseln Matupi).

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