Description
Sagaie Kanak population, North Island, New- Caledonia Wood, black pigment Height: 2.17 m Carved in high relief on the shaft, and framed by incised motifs, is a small, finely modeled human head with characteristic Kanak statuary features, forehead and chin projecting forward. According to Fritz Sarasin (Ethnographie des Kanak, page 178), these sculpted faces are linked to ancestor worship. The black parts were obtained by rubbing with niaouli bark covered with coconut charcoal or bancoul nuts. The beautiful shade of patina and color between the honey-orange shaft and the intense black of the circled decoration on the face intensifies the striking contrast, drawing the eye to the schematized face depicted and testifying to the high level of craftsmanship that went into making this beautiful assegai.
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Sagaie Kanak population, North Island, New- Caledonia Wood, black pigment Height: 2.17 m Carved in high relief on the shaft, and framed by incised motifs, is a small, finely modeled human head with characteristic Kanak statuary features, forehead and chin projecting forward. According to Fritz Sarasin (Ethnographie des Kanak, page 178), these sculpted faces are linked to ancestor worship. The black parts were obtained by rubbing with niaouli bark covered with coconut charcoal or bancoul nuts. The beautiful shade of patina and color between the honey-orange shaft and the intense black of the circled decoration on the face intensifies the striking contrast, drawing the eye to the schematized face depicted and testifying to the high level of craftsmanship that went into making this beautiful assegai.
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