Boig Area Cassowary Bone Scraper-New Guinea Art-Oceanic Art
Normally it would be hard to say where such an object originates except that in my field collecting days I had stumbled into the exact area—a stretch of villages in the low mountains that separate the Lower Sepik River from the Murik Lakes. I did not collect this particular cassowary bone scraper but several very much similar with the bold wedge-shape face of a flying fox jutting from the blade. This is a particularly ancient example with the darker aged patina almost worn away. Look how deeply pierced the septum and ears are and the face’s still powerful expression. This is assuredly 19th century, comes from the Walter Randel Collection, the Jolika Collection of John & Marcia Friede, ex. Bruce Frank and ex. David & Bonnie Ross of Indianapolis. The piece can be seen in a photo of the Friede collection in Art Tribal magazine #5 from 2004. The piece is 8 ¾” (22.2 cm) in height.