Yangoru Boiken Ceremonial House Lintel-New Guinea Art-Oceanic Art
The ceremonial houses of the Yangoru Boiken can be considerably smaller than their Abelam neighbors. Thus, the lintels that extend horizontally across the façade are correspondingly reduced. This is one I field collected 20 years ago and published in my “Art of the Boiken” book of 2011, no. 52, pages 102/103. It features four female ancestral spirit figures linked arm and arm with a totemic bird on the left and a female flying fox to the right. The figures are charmingly composed and painted with both traditional and Western pigments. The lintel dates to the early/mid 20th century, is 96” (244 cm) across.