Three Middle Sepik amulets

Three Middle Sepik amulets

Papua New Guinea

galip nut with carved ancestor faces, two with pigment decoration and pierced for suspension, all with a cut open mouths for thumb plucking,

4.5cm - 4.8cm long,

and a Sepik galip nut carved amulet, with applied trade beads and a feather, 13.5cm long. (4)

Provenance

Werner Forman Collection (1921 - 2010)

Middle Sepik amulets - Werner Forman Archive - IDS Reference : 55406885.

Sepik amulet with feather - Werner Forman Archive - IDS Reference : 554086886.

The three Middle Sepik amulets were worn by young men and they would use their thumb nail to flick the flat mouth section making a sound similar to a frog croak, as part of the courtship rituals to attract girls.