In the 1920s famed American anthropologist Margaret Mead studied and wrote extensively about the peoples of what was then known as the New Guinea region, providing insights, often considered controversial, into the rituals, traditions and cultural mores of the Arapesh, or Sepik basin people

Evidence places the first human inhabitants of the Oceanic region at no later than 60,000 years ago. These early people, who may have migrated during an Ice Age from Southeast Asia, were hunters and gatherers who relied upon the forest environments for their food, while simultaneously practicing agricultural techniques with indigenous crops such as sugarcane, Pacific bananas, and yams.1

As the first Europeans arrived in the early part of the 16th century, they discovered that the peoples of the Oceanic/Melanesian region and nearby islands still relied upon bone, wood and primitive stone tools as implements. It was, in fact, Don Jorge de Menses, a Spanish navigator, who is credited with first discovering the region in 1526-27.2

In the 1920s famed American anthropologist Margaret Mead studied and wrote extensively about the peoples of what was then known as the New Guinea region, providing insights, often considered controversial, into the rituals, traditions and cultural mores of the Arapesh, or Sepik basin people.3

For most early inhabitants of the New Guinea region, and to some degree to this day, nature is seen as the repository of unpredictable and capricious elements. The ability to survive, as well as the ability to connect with the “living presence” of one’s ancestors to secure continuity from one generation to the next, is one essential element in the creation of the art and artifacts of these peoples.

The art forms of Papua New Guinea (officially renamed in 1972)4 rely primarily upon sculpted forms in wood. Often the works are curvilinear with painted surfaces that frequently include geometric shapes. The Hofstra University Museum is most fortunate to have numerous works from the cultures of this region of the world, thanks to significant gifts from Cedric H. and Daisy Marks. We also thank Astoria Federal Savings for providing support that helped bring this exhibit to fruition.

Curated by the Museum’s Collections Manager, Kristy L. Caratzola, this exhibition provides, for the first time, insights into the artistic and cultural output of the peoples of the Maprik region, Sepik River region, the Kiriwina Islands, and the Papuan Gulf, giving us a glimpse at just a few of the more than 200 cultures that have been identified in this region of the world.5

Beth E. Levinthal

Executive Director

1, 2, 4 http://globaledge.msu.edu/countries/papua-new-guinea/history 3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Mead 5 www.pngembassy.org/culture.html

Spirit and Identity: Melanesian Works from the Hofstra University Museum Collections examines a range of ethnographic artworks and objects created by distinct regional cultural communities indigenous to Papua New Guinea and the Islands of New Britain, Vanuatu and Kiriwina located in the Papuan Gulf of the South Pacific Ocean. Although traditional aesthetic styles vary across each society, commonalities are found in the practice of ancestor worship, the belief in spiritual intervention, and in the production and accumulation of sanctified objects. Sophisticated polychromed wooden figures, warrior shields and ritualized utilitarian objects express complex ideologies through abstracted human and animal forms complemented with colorful, geometric designs.

Brightly painted figural sculptures are essential to the yam harvest of the Abelam of northeastern Papua New Guinea. This prescribed series of horticultural processes, initiation activities and feasts ensures the continued prosperity of collective hamlets. Patrilineal clan spirits are honored through competitive cultivation of sacred long yams exchanged between initiated men belonging to sets of dually reciprocating family groups aligned by marriage. Abelam Yam Cult members are also responsible for executing the religious artworks positioned around the “korombo” house, which becomes the center of ceremonial activity during this season. The korombo is a sacrosanct structure revered as a powerful spiritual presence. Its exterior is characterized by a tall, steeply pitched thatched roof that hangs over the front side and extends down to the ground. This enclosure forms a canopy that covers an intricately painted triangular gable that gives shelter to senior initiated males, called “big men,” who meet in this congregational area.

Abelam korombo are exclusively used for storing sacred long yams during the harvest and for staging “tambaran” initiations in the proceeding months. During the annual tambaran, candidates are exposed to mysterious enshrined objects that include painted sculptural interpretations of the primary ancestor, nggwalndu.

Nggwalndu is represented throughout the korombo, taking the shape of full-length figures, large sculptural heads, monumental facade paintings, and as the building and displayed sacred long yams themselves. Individually carved nggwalndu are also understood as symbols of named male ancestors particular to each clan. Manifestations of this supernatural paternal being have multiple attributes that vary according to the medium to which they are applied.

Combinations of these identifiable elements are prominent in the nggwalndu (HU73.83) from the Museum’s permanent collections and featured in this