Name: Papuan Gulf Ceremonial Bullroarer (Imunu Viki / Kaiaimunu)
Brand: Art for Eternity
SKU: 18275
Price: 1295.0 USD
Availability: InStock

Papuan Gulf Ceremonial Bullroarer (Imunu Viki / Kaiaimunu)

$1,295

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New York City gallery since 1996. ATADA member

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Attributed to Nyeri Baigu; Kivaumai Village, Urama (Uramu) Island, Papuan Gulf, Papua New Guinea

Early Mid 20th Century, Carved black palm wood with white lime pigment; a finely proportioned, lenticular ceremonial bullroarer carved from dense black palm wood and pierced at the apex for suspension. The obverse is incised in low relief with traditional Papuan Gulf iconography highlighted with natural white lime infill. The upper register features a stylized, bilaterally symmetrical ancestral face with large concentric eyes, flanked by triple notched lug ears along the outer edges and surmounted by nested chevrons. Below the face, a continuous series of concentric diamond and zigzag motifs flanks a central circular navel (kopi / imunu center), an important symbolic locus of ancestral power in Gulf Province art. The reverse is unadorned, displaying a rich, dark brown patina with natural surface wear and handling marks.

In the Papuan Gulf, bullroarers are sacred aerophones traditionally kept inside the men’s ceremonial longhouse (ravi or daimo). When whirled overhead on a fiber cord, the blade produces a deep, vibrating roar believed to be the voice of ancestral or water/wind spirits (imunu), used during male initiation rites, funerary ceremonies, and major religious feasts.
Acquired by NY collector MG from Kirby Kallas-Lewis, Collected before 1950; Accompanied by its original handwritten field collection tags reading:
Top tag: D26AI / Bullroarer / by / NYERI BAIGU / from / KIVAUMAI / 3

Lower tag: PNG 210 / P.N.G. PAPUAN G[ULF] / No 139 | Size 14 ½" L | Date [torn] / ITEM: Bullroarer / MATERIAL: Black Palm carved & filled with white lime / ARTIST: NYERI BAIGU / ORIGIN: KIVAUMAI - Papuan Gulf / TRADITION: Swung over the head in ever larger circles the piece roars and "speaks for the wind god". Used in almost all religious ceremonies and feasts.
Size: 14.5 inches (36.8 cm) H. x 3.5 inches (8.9 cm) W. + custom stand.

Every object is guaranteed authentic and as described, and has been legally acquired and imported in accordance with U.S. and applicable foreign regulations on the movement and sale of antiquities. A signed certificate of authenticity with a description and photograph accompanies this object. Any restoration is described on the invoice.

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Papuan Gulf Ceremonial Bullroarer (Imunu Viki / Kaiaimunu)

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Papuan Gulf Ceremonial Bullroarer (Imunu Viki / Kaiaimunu)