Sago Peg Item Number: 3134/3 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Sago peg with carved, painted head. Peg is split from its tapered bottom to the thicker midpoint, where it is wrapped with a wide band of woven rattan. Its top is painted a dark brown with areas of lacquering, and carved into the heads of a human and a bird. Two faces each span two facets of the diamond-shaped human head, featuring engraved eyes and protruding lips in an undercut chin. Above is the bird’s head, sitting atop a long curved neck with parted beak dropping toward the forehead of one of the human faces.

Narrative

Collected during the donor's time as a missionary nurse in Papua New Guinea, 1964-1970.