Iatmul Suspension Hook Figure, Middle Sepik River, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea

Pierre Dartevelle, Brussels
American Private Collection
Jonathan Holstein, Cazenovia, New York, acquired from the above
Private Collection, Maui, acquired from the above on March 1, 2001

Toos van Kooten and Gerard van den Heuvel, eds., Sculptuur uit Afrika en Oceanië / Sculpture from Africa and Oceania, Otterlo, 1990, cover

Suspended from the rafters by a cord, suspension hooks are used to safeguard food, clothing, and other items, which are placed in baskets or string bags and hung from the hook-shaped prongs at the base to keep them out of reach of vermin. Most hooks represented ancestral spirits and totemic animals. This hook figure bears a finely carved face, with a soft ridged design on the forehead and around the eyes and mouth. Remnants of a white pigment cover the face. The body is muscular, with openwork arms and bent legs. The feet grip the hook as the figure stands on the hook, perfectly balanced.  Primarily functional, household suspension hooks were also used to contact spirits about more minor matters.