Description:

A Fine Asmat Manama Dance Costume Djakapis Village, Upper Jerep River, Remote NW Asmat Area, South Coast West Papua, Irian Jaya Indonesia, Mid-20th Century,
the wood figure on the top of this basketry costume is in the form of a stylized turtle called Manama but it represents an ancient ancestor of the Asmat people. 

The Jipae Ceremony is preformed to release the spirits of the recently deceased so that their spirits can move on to the afterlife but with these dance costumes there is always one Manama costume being danced; the other type of costumes also called Jipae are the recently deceased spirits. The ceremony lasts several months (the costumes make occasional appearances at the front of the special made ceremonial house or Jeu). At the end of the ceremony, they costume disappear into the jungle never to be seen again (they are left in the trees to decay naturally). 

This Manama Costume was collected by Todd Barlin in 1986 and was part of a larger field collection of objects that are now mainly in museums collections including, The Musee Du Quai Branly in Paris

The photo in the village is of a similar Costumes that were acquired on the same time.

Provenance:
Todd Barlin Field Collected in 1986

  • Dimensions: H 160 cm

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December 5, 2022 6:00 PM AEDT
Stanmore, Australia

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