A Fine Old New Guinea New Ireland Malangan Sculpture of a Shark Totem Bismarck Archipelago Papua New Guinea
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| Collection No. | New Ireland Malangan Sculpture of a Shark Totem |
|---|---|
| Size | Length 76cm |
Fine Old New Guinea New Ireland Malangan Sculpture of a Shark Totem Bismarck Archipelago Papua New Guinea
The South Pacific islands of New Ireland were home to a complex and vibrant culture that produced some of the most imaginative carvings of Melanesia. The art of New Ireland traditionally centred around a series of mortuary ceremonies and feasts intended to honour the dead. In northern New Ireland, the name Malangan was given to these mortuary ceremonies and their associated sculptures and masks. Malangan rites and rituals also marked important stages of an individual’s life, and men in particular, competed during their lifetime to obtain the greatest number of Malangan rights. The possession of these rights and privileges to specific Malangan images, and the rituals associated with them, conferred increased social status and prestige. Cleverly incorporated into carved sculptures, these attained images and motifs served as a visual resume for the deceased and additionally illustrated important concepts such as clan and kinship, gender, death, and the spirit world.
The preparation for a Malangan ceremony would begin after a funeral and could continue for a year or more. During this time, performances were organized,
During the ceremony, the Malangan sculptures were treated with the utmost care as it was believed that the souls of the deceased would enter the sculptures. Upon completion of the ceremony, the souls were believed to have left the body of the Malangan and the world of the living, and the sculptures were no longer needed, and so were subsequently burned or allowed to rot in the forest.
Malangan sculptures often included stylized representations of birds, fish and other identifiable marine animals, alluding to specific clan myths and the animals’ natural characteristics.
The Shark however has a very special place in ceremonial life in New Ireland In the New Ireland province of Papua New Guinea, “shark calling” is a centuries-old ritual where local men, known as shark callers, engage in a complex practice of singing, chanting, and using a conch shell to lure sharks from the sea. They believe that sharks carry the spirits of their ancestors and that by following strict protocols, they can call, capture, and kill sharks without being harmed.
Before embarking on a shark-calling expedition, the shark callers undergo rigorous preparations, including abstaining from certain foods, sexual activity, and applying special herbs to themselves and their canoes. The shark callers use a conch shell to signal the village of their success or failure. They also use specific songs, chants, and actions, including shaking a coconut rattle, to lure the sharks. Once a shark is lured, it is captured by hand, and the villagers treat the shark with respect, believing it holds a spiritual connection to their ancestors.
Malangan carvings portraying fish are quite rare, and they were displayed both as independent sculptures and were also incorporated into upright figurative sculptures, whereby the figure was often positioned standing inside the mouth of the fish
Provenance: Old Collection Australia and The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art
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