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these communities, they frequently consist of a
bird depicted with a human fi gure. In former
times, each Iatmul village had at least one but
sometimes several great ceremonial houses, generally
erected parallel to the river. These edifi ces,
which were used only by initiated men, were
called ngekau. Brigitta Hauser-Schaüblin (1989:
379–404) published early photographs of many
houses with these emblematic sculptures rising
from them. Among the Iatmul, these sculptures
were generally called kwangu-wawi, which
literally means “portable drum-bird” (fi g. 2).
The men assembled in these houses, gathering
around an orator’s stool to discuss community
issues (Garnier, 2018), and it was considered
good form for them to spend more time in the
ngekau than in their own family homes.
Smaller communal houses called mbole also
were built for use by adolescents, while yet others
known as ntegal were used to house uninitiated
young men. With only a few differences,
this system of organization also prevailed in the
villages of neighboring communities, such as
those of the Manambu and the Sawos. Ntegal essentially
were smaller versions of the ngekau and
also had gable sculptures at the extremities of
their ridgepoles. However, these sculptures were
considerably less impressive than those on the
ngekau and were most often made of terracotta.2
These pottery objects represented the waugula
bird (Scythrops novaehollandiae), known for its
piercing cry. German museums have a few old
examples of terracotta gable ornaments of this
kind (fi g. 4), which were collected by the earliest
expeditions (Reche, 1913: plate XXXIV; Kelm,
1966, vol. I: 359–366). These have an overall design
similar to that of the wooden sculptures, being
a bird on the back of a human fi gure. More
recent pottery objects made for the tourist trade
are sometimes surmounted by a rooster (fi g. 5).
In some villages, custom dictates that the edifi
ce would not have a winged emblem on it,
and this is and has long been the case for the
Païembit house in the village of Palembai.3
Until the end of the last century, the Sawos
village of Nangosap had some houses with
wooden gable sculptures and others with
simple pots called ao. Those with wooden
sculptures were considered “hirsute”
houses (nambuyuwi), while those with pot-
FIG. 5 (below): Gable
sculpture collected in 1972 in
the village of Aïbom, Papua
New Guinea.
Clay, pigment. H: 49 cm.
Private collection.
FIG. 6 (bottom right): Gable
sculpture atop the Mbitcho
ceremonial house in the
Iatmul village of Timbunke,
Papua New Guinea.
© C. Coiffi er, 1988.
FIG. 7 (middle right):
The Wolimbit ceremonial
house in the Iatmul village
of Kanganaman during
restoration.
Papua New Guinea.
The vertical post for the gable
sculpture is visible in the middle of the
scaffolding.
© C. Coiffi er, 1994.
FIG. 8 (top right): Gable
sculpture atop the
Nyanglambi ceremonial
house in the Iatmul village
of Yentchen, Papua New
Guinea.
© C. Coiffi er, 1979.
FIG. 9 (facing page, top):
Gable sculpture atop
the ceremonial house in
the village of Kapriman
(Kreïmbit), Papua New
Guinea.
© C. Coiffi er, 1988.