EXTREMELY RARE OCEANIC ART KIADIBA OR DANCE PADDLE FROM THE TROBRIAND ISLANDS, MELANESIA, PNG. HAND CARVED WOOD PAINTED WITH NATURAL DYES CIRCA 1950 AS SEEN IN MUSEUMS REPRESENTING RARE CULTURES COLLECTOR DESIGNER DECORATOR HOME DECOR no 4A5F

This is a large rare dance shield or paddle

Circa 1950

From the remote Trobriand islands, Melanesia

A Kiadiba, unusual art from the South Pacific. 

Trobriand Islands, Melanesia, Massim Region, Papua New Guinea

Item 4A5F

They normally retail, when they can be found, between $900.00 and up to $2,000.00 (we are asking a fraction of the original value)

Measures: 30" x 8" 

On photo 11, you see some of this wonderful and rare art displayed in our home.

This old hand carved and hand painted Kiadiba was made of solid wood decorated with lime and ochre, and we collected it in the Trobriand Islands, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea on one of our trips there. Trobriand paints are natural pigments and have a short life and usually are renewed often whenever needed. The red paint or Karumosa is a natural earth pigment that is traded in Kula from the people of Dobu Island. The traditional value of this pigment in the Kula trade is due to the fact that no earth pigments are found in the Trobriands and other coral islands. The white paints are manufactured by heating sea shells and crushing them into a fine lime powder. The black paint is a mixture of charred coconut husk and banana stalk sap.

This rare collectible is authentic, and was collected in the field.

Photos of natives using them taken in the 1920's are available and we can send them to you upon request.

We are closing our doors so everything is reduced and we will ship this free within the continental USA, it is heavy.

Check Dominique Rice Oceania Store in Sun Sentinel Newspaper, Fort Lauderdale, for information on our collection and authentic art.

All our collector and rare items come with pages and pages of research about provenance, and with history of the tribes and photos as well, depending on item and whenever possible. When shipping internationally, we group ship multiple purchases to save you money, and find the best rates available. If you have any questions or want to see research conducted on this piece and photos of tribes, ask us.