An old and large yina head representing an ancestral spirit, or sikilawas, related to the yina-ma festival - the first of the three annual yam harvest ceremonies. This example has a remarkable encrusted patina of soot over the heavily scorched wood and has the remains of yellow paint trailing around the outer edge of the face along the eyes and chin. Two large inverted spikes are carved on the back representing the beak of the Hornbill bird. The exaggerated features and the powerful phallic nose indicate that this is a male sikilawas. The yina-ma ceremonies include a main event during which a gigantic pile of freshly harvested yams is gathered in the center of the sacred ground. The yina heads, freshly painted and decorated with chicken feather beards, are placed around the foot of the pile with other modeled clay heads.

Nukuma People, Washkuk Hills, Middle Sepik, PNG, Melanesia. Wood and pigment with wear and minor damage to the left ear. 162.3 x 35.8 x 19 cm. XXth century.

Ex coll. : Mann, Victoria, Australia, circa 1950/60. See the Oceanic Art section in the Rockefeller Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York for a simulated yina-ma display.