DOI Heft:
No.127 (October, 1903)
DOI Artikel:Praetorius, Charles J.: Art in British New Guinea
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19880#0070
Art in British New Guinea
was fixed a number of thin
plates of shell; numerous
seed-pods and shells were
tied on, which served as
rattles when dancing.
One dance, that of
" Greeting the Rising
Sun," must have been an
interesting sight to behold.
Just before dawn the
dancers assembled on a
broad stretch of sandy
beach by the sea. The
men raised their drums
above their heads (in this
way the four cardinal
points were saluted), then
swaying their bodies to
and fro the drums were
beaten. Round the drum-
mers the other men
: , danced, chanting a dirge-
like song. As the sun
rose the dancing became
fill SKBlftv . . , ,
!» wilder, until the men by
their exertions were stream-
ing with perspiration, and
when utterly exhausted
they went home to sleep.*
In former days much
attention was paid to the
decoration of canoes.
The Papuans made and
carved elaborate prows
and sterns ; the main lines
of these prows were grace-
ful curves, which made a
fitting termination for the
craft. A close inspection
of the carved details shows
carved clubs from trobriand islam) drawn by c. i'r^etorius a keen sense and dex-
terity in the grouping and
arrangement of curves :
by the natives of the Torres Straits are remarkable devoid of monotony in disposition, they are ex-
productions. Masks of human faces were carved cellent examples of a single original motive {i.e.,
from a solid piece of wood ; the features were bird's head) repeated in a variety of ways without
treated in a grotesque manner, especially the ear. any unpleasant sense of reiteration. On these
One of the masks in the illustration has a number prows were tied numerous shell and feather orna-
of shell ear-rings, the lobe of the ear showing a ments. The effect must have been very picturesque
large perforation; the second elongated mask has a when these decorated canoes were fully manned at
nose ornament. Patterns were formed on the face sea, with the tom-toms beating,
by numerous white dots. These elaborately ornamented canoes are now a
Head-dresses of turtle-shell were skilfully made,
being composed of a wooden framework on which
* A full account of this dance will be found in " Work and Adventure
. New Guinea," by J. Chalmers and Wyatt Gill.
53
was fixed a number of thin
plates of shell; numerous
seed-pods and shells were
tied on, which served as
rattles when dancing.
One dance, that of
" Greeting the Rising
Sun," must have been an
interesting sight to behold.
Just before dawn the
dancers assembled on a
broad stretch of sandy
beach by the sea. The
men raised their drums
above their heads (in this
way the four cardinal
points were saluted), then
swaying their bodies to
and fro the drums were
beaten. Round the drum-
mers the other men
: , danced, chanting a dirge-
like song. As the sun
rose the dancing became
fill SKBlftv . . , ,
!» wilder, until the men by
their exertions were stream-
ing with perspiration, and
when utterly exhausted
they went home to sleep.*
In former days much
attention was paid to the
decoration of canoes.
The Papuans made and
carved elaborate prows
and sterns ; the main lines
of these prows were grace-
ful curves, which made a
fitting termination for the
craft. A close inspection
of the carved details shows
carved clubs from trobriand islam) drawn by c. i'r^etorius a keen sense and dex-
terity in the grouping and
arrangement of curves :
by the natives of the Torres Straits are remarkable devoid of monotony in disposition, they are ex-
productions. Masks of human faces were carved cellent examples of a single original motive {i.e.,
from a solid piece of wood ; the features were bird's head) repeated in a variety of ways without
treated in a grotesque manner, especially the ear. any unpleasant sense of reiteration. On these
One of the masks in the illustration has a number prows were tied numerous shell and feather orna-
of shell ear-rings, the lobe of the ear showing a ments. The effect must have been very picturesque
large perforation; the second elongated mask has a when these decorated canoes were fully manned at
nose ornament. Patterns were formed on the face sea, with the tom-toms beating,
by numerous white dots. These elaborately ornamented canoes are now a
Head-dresses of turtle-shell were skilfully made,
being composed of a wooden framework on which
* A full account of this dance will be found in " Work and Adventure
. New Guinea," by J. Chalmers and Wyatt Gill.
53