A Fine Old New Guinea Dance Staff Lake Sentani Area NW Coast West Papua Irian Jaya

A Fine Old New Guinea Dance Staff Lake Sentani Area NW Coast West Papua Irian Jaya

This beautiful old Lake Sentani Net Dance Staff was one of the first artworks that I collected on Lake Sentani 38 years ago when I spent months in the area. The second photo above is of the Ondafi or Chief’s son holding the Dance Staff in 1985

This beautifully carved Dance Staff with the finial carved in the form of a chiefly Ancestor who is holding a drum in his hands & has a tobacco pipe in his mouth. This is likely an actual portrait of the Chief or Ondafi of Bobrongko Village on Lake Sentani where I collected it in 1985 the carver was deceased as was the chief it portrayed.

Below the figure are three wide bands of finely incised scrolling designs called fou which is a chiefly design used solely on artworks made for the chiefly families or Ondafi.

Dance Staff were used during important ceremonies where the chief carried the staff as a sign of his authority in the village & surrounding area. It was also used during chiefly oration where the staff was used to emphasize his words.

Provenance: The Todd Barlin Collection of New Guinea Oceanic Art

See my new EXHIBITIONS GALLERY  showing the Museums and Art Galleries Exhibitions that I provided artworks for over the past 40 years. There is the link to the article about my artworks published in the prestigious Louvre Magazine in 1996

I have artwork for Museums and art Galleries but also for collectors at every stage of their collecting. I want to encourage people to explore the fine art of New Guinea & West Papua and the Pacific Islands and to be able to see and touch the artworks in a relaxed and friendly manner in my Sydney Gallery. I would like to invite you to visit my gallery and see the artworks in person and also look at my website www.oceanicartsaustralia.com where there are many Galleries & Sub Galleries to explore.

My Gallery of nearly 40 years is the last physical gallery in Sydney that specializes in New Guinea and Oceanic Art.  Sydney is very close to New Guinea & the Pacific Islands where all of these amazing artworks came from, Australia’s closest neighbors.

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