Cassowary Bone Dagger with Acrylic Stand from Papua New Guinea (PNG)

Cassowary Bone Dagger from the Central Highlands of Papua New Guinea. Bone daggers were both symbolic and utilitarian being that they functioned as objects of artistic expression in rituals; as well as were used for hunting and in warfare.  

Most daggers were shaped from the tibiotarsus (shin bone) of cassowaries. Cassowary are large flightless birds found in New Guinea and Australia and can grow to up to 5 feet tall. (Distant relative of the emu.)

Sepik-area examples feature incising that has been accentuated with pigments. Designs can be geometric, along with depictions of either human faces, animals, or benevolent clan spirits that protect yam harvests. This example has remnants of the original paint and a fine dark patina.  

This piece is in excellent condition, has been in storage for over 60 years, and was part of the collection of Dean Warner a graduate of Mexico City College and Thunderbird. Mr. Warner was a noted dealer in Pre-Columbian artifacts and a prolific collector of international ethnic folk art. He collected this piece during the early 1960s on location while attending the Abelam Peoples 'Yam Festival.' Art from his collection is on permanent display at The Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University in Phoenix. 

Presented on a new museum-quality acrylic stand and would add interest to a variety of interiors from a Dark & Moody Study... to Boho, Globally-Inspired or even Mid-Century Modern.

Place of Origin: Central Highlands, Papua New Guinea (PNG)

Date of Manufacture: early/mid-20th century

Condition: Excellent

Wear: Consistent with age and use. Please refer to pictures.

Dimensions:

Dagger: 12.75 in. H X 1.75 in. W X 1.5 in. D 

Stand: 2 in. L X 2. in. W X 13 in. H

Total: 15.75 in. H

Reference:  

Lam Museum of Anthropology at Wake Forest University

The Met

Art of the Ancestors

Hood Museum at Dartmouth University

Bowers Museum

The Royal Society, New Guinea Bone Daggers Were Engineered To Preserve Social Prestige, 2018 Article by Nathaniel J. Dominy, Samuel T. Mills, Christopher M. Yakacki, Paul B. Roscoe and R. Dana Carpenter.

Explore more Decorative at Our Taste Design.