Ceremonial shell; Latmul Culture, Middle Sepik, Papua New Guinea,

Ceremonial helmet; Latmul Culture, Middle Sepik, Papua. New Guinea, 20th century.
Wood, fibers and pigments.
Measurements: 43 x 10 cm.
Ceremonial helmet in the shape of a bird, made of wood, fibers and pigments. The tip is made of fibers, with braided plants and acts as a stopper. The piece has a design as an ornamental figure of painted wood that represents a cassowary enclosed in a beautifully elaborated stylized head.
The Iatmul are a large ethnic group of about 10,000 people inhabiting some two dozen politically autonomous villages along the Middle Sepik River in Papua New Guinea. The communities are roughly grouped according to Iatmul language dialect and socio-cultural affinities. The Iatmul are best known for their art, men's houses, male initiation, elaborate totemic systems, and a famous ritual called naven, first studied by Gregory Bateson in the 1930s.