Tribal Art

Bioma sculpture (N° 20194)

This flat form is thought to represent, for the Urama groups of the Gulf of Papua, an ancestor figure. These figures named bioma or agiba topped crocodile and pig skulls next to gope boards in the ceremonial house. The back side bears prominent decorative motifs, coated with ochre brown and white crusty pigments.

The Melanesia, in the Pacific Ocean, encompasses Papua (Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and the Solomon Islands. The population is the result of successive migrations resulting in racial heterogeneity reflected in numerous languages and a great artistic diversity. Most of these communities were organized into male societies with ceremonial huts in which statues, masks and ritual objects were stored. The masks produced by these groups represent ancestral spirits in which they are embodied. Litt. The masks produced by these groups represent the ancestral spirits in which they are incarnated.
Literature: "Ombres de Nouvelle-Guinée" from the Barbier-Mueller collection, Somogy editions of Art.