Lot 58: A Massim Canoe Splashboard (lagim), Papua New Guinea

Exhibited: Traditional Artifacts From the South Pacific, University Gallery, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Nov-Dec 1991.

A Massim Canoe Splashboard (lagim), Papua New Guinea. Height: 25". Wood with erosion from age and use, remains of red paint. Exhibited: Traditional Artifacts From the South Pacific, University Gallery, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, 1991. A rare and beautiful example. Ethnography: (excerpt from Met Museum: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/319841): The Massim region of southeast Papua New Guinea is renowned for its ancient and ongoing inter-island exchange of shell valuables. Known as Kula, this ceremonial exchange is carried out in profusely decorated seagoing canoes carved from locally sourced trees. The most vital component of these decorative elements are the splashboards that close the dugout hull of the canoe on both ends, thereby preventing the canoe from taking in water during passage. Known as lagim in Kilivila (the language of the region within the Trobriand Islands where this piece is most likely from), splashboards are mounted with transversal wave splitboards that face forward. These are known as tabuya in Kilivila."

Price Realized: $1,600

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