Three rare staff-figure, or apets. Information collected by Ursula & Gunter Konrad in Yow Village (Becembub linguistic area, Central Asmat) indicates that the apets are clan related and represent a being named Daneu. These staff-figures were reportedly carved just before the start of the bis as a way of obtaining the ancestor's permission to proceed with the carving of the great bis post and the subsequent ceremonies. The apets were presented and placed near or around the central hearth of the Mens House - which explains the slightly smoked patina. As well, apets were seen as a preliminary indication of a forthcoming head-hunting raid.

Collected from an old yeu, or Mens House in Area A, Central Asmat, Irian Jaya, Indonesian New Guinea, Melanesia. Sago frond stalk, fiber, wood and chicken feathers. Collected by a field collector. 20th century. Dimensions two tallest examples are 272 cm w/o feathers (300 cm with feathers), the shorter example is 249 w/o feathers and 283 with.

Galerie Meyer acquired six large apets in 1998 from a field collector who had discovered them in the yeu of Warse Village (Simai language area). Of these six apets three were sold to the Musée des Arts d'Afrique et d'Oceanie, Paris in 1999 (now in the collections of Musée du Quai Brany, Paris); one to the Linden Museum, Stuttgart and two examples went to a private French collection.

Ref.:
Helfrich, Klaus; (ed.): ASMAT - Mythos und Kunst im Leben mit den Asmat. Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin, 1996. Page 167, Fig. 11.1 for a small one with a "late" or colonial style figure collected by Ursula & Gunter Konrad in 1994 (inv. N° N° A 0099). See pages 128, 129, 163, & 164 for texts relating to the apets.