A Kukukuku or Angu Harpoon, Papua New Guinea

Probably Sir Raphael Cilento (1893 - 1985) Collection, Australia

Private Australian Collection

Private French Collection

The Angu or Kukukuku people, who live in the remote, mountainous south-west of Morobe province in Papua New Guinea, are still relatively unknown today. Speaking several related languages, the twelve clans making up this people are best known for their murderous and violent raids on villages further down the valleys, as well as for their tradition of mummifying the dead. The main clan of the Angu people, the Hamtai, were the originators of three mummification sites before the practice virtually disappeared with the arrival of missionaries in 1949. Probably from the collection of Sir Raphael Cilento, who undertook several medical missions in Papua New Guinea with the Australian army after the First World War, this finely carved harpoon is a prime example of the warrior craftsmanship of the Angu people.