canoe prow
20th century
Object PlacePapua New Guinea
Medium/Techniquewood, paint
DimensionsOverall: 25 x 78.5 cm (9 13/16 x 30 7/8 in.)
Credit LineGift of Geneviève McMillan in memory of Reba Stewart
Accession number2009.2640
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDecorative arts
Collections
Canoe prows from the Massim area are among the iconic works from the Pacific, not only because of their distinctive visual qualities, but also because the canoes were used in the long-distance gift-exchange expeditions known as the kula cycle. Before a canoe could be launched for the first time, ceremonial blessings needed to be performed to ensure a swift and successful return from the Kula trade routes. The canoe prows, affixed to both ends of the canoe, were the first part of the boat to enter the water and the whole canoe would be washed with the sprigs of a shrub, called bobi'u, to rid it of malevolent spirits.
ProvenanceGeneviève McMillan (b. 1922 - d. 2008), Cambridge, MA; 2008, to the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation, Cambridge; 2009, gift of the Geneviève McMillan and Reba Stewart Foundation to the MFA. (Accession Date: June 17, 2009)
Artist Unidentified, Pacific Islander
