Primitive South Pacific Art Ebony Pearl Sculpture Effigy Staff Totem Hand carved

Effigy statuette amulet staff

(Seen on most of the photos)

Measures: 13 1/2" tall

This is an empowered Amulet totem staff hand carved in the shape of a young girl in traditional costume and belonging to a chief.

Exquisite detailed carving, minute details. This is used as a staff.

Melanesia Massim Kula Trobriand Ebony Effigy statuette

Rare Totem statue

Variegated ebony

Hand-carved, unique, with inlays of mother pearl

Item 1A6 in our inventory

Size: 13.5' x 2" 

(Seen on all photos but the one showing one of these girls from the remote Trobriand Islands of the South Pacific)

Oceanic Art

This Figural Totem is nicely detailed and was hard to carve especially since Ebony is a very dense wood.

Collected 25+ years ago

A remarkable, completely hand-carved, hand-crafted Melanesian (remote Massim region) Statue Effigy

From the isolated Trobriand Island Chain , North of Papua New Guinea, Papousie PNG)

Beautifully carved by a local master carver with rudimentary tools

Amazingly perfect considering the basic tools used such as pieces of broken shells, rusted nails from shipwrecks found on the beaches, and sea ray, shark skin or an animal horn or tusk rubbed for days against the surface till all is smooth, among other sanding materials, and to produce a sheen on the wood. It is very hard to come across such scarce collectables unless you go there.

These beautiful art pieces are rare items of the Kula ring.

We collected many beautiful pieces while in the remote Trobriands, from carvings (created out of kwila, rosewood and ebony) to costumes, drums and Kula ring exchange items that we will list whenever we have time.

In these islands which are rarely visited, outside influence is at a minimum. The extremely skilled carvers inspire themselves from what is around them as they have access to nothing else: the natives, birds, fish, pigs, marine turtles, snakes and whatever they see in their dreams such as dragons or mystical figures.

Some of these items have very important meanings as they are used as part of the Kula ring trade system that has existed between the islands for centuries.

The Kula ring is a system of exchange involving annual inter-island visits between trading partners who exchange highly valued shell ornaments and other things during year long sea travels.

This trade ranged from a surplus of pigs and yams in the Trobriands to the fine art or pottery found in the Amphletts. Other places became known for obsidian and Betel nut. It is believed that this myth could be one of the origins of the and the way it functions. Kula is a ritualized trading culture existing in eastern which the Trobriands are part of. It is essentially network of villages joined by a common trade route, known as the .

By analogy, Kula allows you to experience the magic and legends of . Kula was and still is a life sustaining cultural exchange. It is unfortunate that much of the time and energy that was used in the past to hold together the social foundation is now being clouded with the desire for money, a by-product of a tourism-based economy. With influences such as these and the advancement of technology, the intricate pattern in which traditional values are based is slowly eroding. Kula is the basis of mental and physical well-being. The has always been associated with making contact with far off neighbors. Traditionally two kinds of items were traded; arm bands carved from the sea shell known as Mwali and spondylus shell necklaces, Soulava. Each of these items was traded individually. Mwali and Soulava traveled in opposite directions around the (group of islands). Mwali passed anticlockwise in the ring and were given with the right hand, the Soulava passed clockwise and was offered with the left hand, first between villages then from island to island.

Such pieces are used by the indigenous people of the most primitive areas of Papua New Guinea. These proud people have managed, in the face of continued government and missionary pressure, to maintain a culture of incredible depth and beauty. For the most part, they still live by the same methods as have existed in their remote land for thousands of years.

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, let us know

We have artifacts and architectural accents up to 10 ft tall that we will put on upon request because shipping has to be calculated accordingly with trucking company.