nggwalndu (male spirit figure)

unrecorded Abelam artist, artist

nggwalndu (male spirit figure), 1850s–1969

Where object was made: Central Maprik Region, Papua New Guinea

Material/technique: pigment; carving; wood

Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 206 x 28 x 26 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 81 1/8 x 11 x 10 1/4 in

Credit line: Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Franklin D. Murphy

Accession number: 1977.0030

Not on display

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Label texts

Nggwalndu are carved ancestor figures. More than a mere representation, the detail adorning this figure is designed to encourage a male ancestral spirit to inhabit the sculpture. In Abelam villages, nggwalndu are displayed within public view, but their true identity is kept a secret from all but the initiated men of the village. The nggwalndu “sleep” in the haus tambaran, or men’s ceremonial house, but they come into more active use during initiation rituals for groups of boys or men.

In preparation for an initiation, a room in the haus tambaran is extravagantly decorated with nggwalndu figures, painted panels, and other items. For the Abelam, paint is a magical substance which imbues the nggwalndu figure with both power and beauty. In its original context, this nggwalndu figure would have been vibrantly painted, and continually repainted as the color faded. An initiate who brushes up against a freshly-painted figure transfers not just pigment onto his own skin, but the power imbued in the paint as well.

Exhibition Label:
"Roots and Journeys: Encountering Global Arts and Cultures," Jul-2011, Nancy Mahaney
Nggwalndu are carved ancestor figures. More than a mere representation, the detail adorning this figure is designed to encourage a male ancestral spirit to inhabit the sculpture. In Abelam villages, nggwalndu are displayed within public view, but their true identity is kept a secret from all but the initiated men of the village. The nggwalndu “sleep” in the haus tambaran, or men’s ceremonial house, but they come into more active use during initiation rituals for groups of boys or men.