Markham Valley Neckrest-Laewomba-New Guinea Art-Oceanic Art
You know your reputation precedes you when the only book written on your people is entitled “The Bloodthirsty Laewomba.” They were notorious raiders who came down the Markham Valley raiding their unfortunate neighbors. Besides unusual tapa hats very few artifacts exist from these people beside a handful of three-legged headrests such as the present example. This one was collected by F. Edward Pietz, the first American Lutheran missionary to Papua New Guinea, in 1922 and is ex. Lothar Pietz, Boise, Idaho and dates to the late 19th/early 20th century and is 7½” (19.0 cm) in height.