DOSSIER
sculptures mounted on the duel gables located
on opposite sides of the building are sometimes
not identical, since they belong to different
clans.
The species of bird seen on the ngekau houses
is diffi cult to identify. It is often a mythical creature
believed to be a variety of harpy eagle (Harpyopsis
novaeguineae). These birds may have a
hooked beak like that of the cormorant (Phalacrocorax
carbo) or the frigate bird (Fregata minor),
while having a crocodile’s body (Coiffi er,
1982: pl. 366). The theme of the bird associated
and combined with the crocodile can also be
found on the stoppers of ceremonial lime containers.
These representations vary according
to different interpretations of the origin myths
of different clans and villages. The Walimdimi
house in the village of Wombum in the Chambri
Lakes region is surmounted by two egrets, each
holding a fi gure (fi g. 13). In most instances,
the birds portrayed in gable sculptures are fi sh
eaters, but hornbills (Rhyticeros plicatus) are
sometimes also the subjects. The hornbill eats
seeds, which are often locally associated with
human heads. The sculptures are often painted
(fi g. 14), but the colors quickly fade and the
wood erodes with the passage of time and the
heavy rains. Clan motifs are sometimes carved
on their bases.
CREATING GABLE SCULPTURES
The gable sculptures of birds with spread wings
are always made from the lower part of a tree
so that its natural root buttresses can serve as
the wings. The selected material must be solid
and both rain and sun resistant, which is why
miamba (Vitex cofossus) and kwarap (Intsia bijuga)
are the wood types most often used. The
importance of the wood these sculptures are
made of is primordial, as it represents the literal
skeleton of the object’s structure (Coiffi er and
Orliac, 2000–2004). The base of the sculptures
is called kwangu (literally “portable drum”) because
it is hollowed out using the same burning
and chiseling techniques that are used in
the carving of hand drums. This cavity allows
the sculpture to be perched onto the extremity
of the vertical post upon which it will sit. For
both gable sculptures and orator’s stools, the
entire carving process has to follow a specifi c
FIG. 19 (above): The Wolimbit ceremonial house
in the Iatmul viallage of Kanganaman, Papua New
Guinea.
© C. Coiffi er, 1972.
FIG. 20 (left): Gable sculpture, woliyangengawi,
from the Wolimbit ceremonial house in the Iatmul
viallage of Kanganaman, Papua New Guinea.
H: 193 cm.
© Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, Paris,
inv. 72.1965.14.45.
FIG. 21 (below): The artist and his new sculpture
for the Wolimbit ceremonial house in the Iatmul
viallage of Kanganaman, Papua New Guinea.
© C. Coiffi er, 2000.