Bird Figure Item Number: 3277/20 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Standing stone bird figure. The bird has a heart-shaped chest, two triangular legs, knob-like tail feathers, pointed head with bulging eyes, and two oval-shaped wings to each side with carved crosshatching. The stone is rough, and mottled in appearance with flecks of reddish-browns.
Narrative
Purchased in May 1972, by Jack Lieber, from a village in Yaramanda, a settlement near the northern foothills of Mt. Hagen. The villager said it was a magic stone given to him by his father to place in the ground under the pighouse to ensure the fertility of animals. Lieber was in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea from August 1970 to June 1972, researching village communities in and around Goroka, where he was lecturing under the auspices of UNESCO at the Goroka Teachers College.
Item History
- Made in Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea
- Collected during 1972
- Owned by Jack Lieber before 2015
- Owned by Iris Lieber before December 8, 2017
- Received from Iris Lieber (Donor) on December 8, 2017
What
Who
- Culture
- New Guinea
- Previous Owner
- Jack Lieber and Iris Lieber
- Received from
- Iris Lieber (Donor)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Western Highlands, Papua New Guinea
When
- Collection Date
- during 1972
- Ownership Date
- before 2015 and before December 8, 2017
- Acquisition Date
- on December 8, 2017
Other
- Condition
- fair
- Accession Number
- 3277/0020