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Sickness shield

Waris District, West Papua
Sickness shield
 (c. 1986)

Medium
earth pigments on sago palm petiole, fibre

Measurements
71.6 × 30.9 × 4.9 cm

Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Todd Barlin, 2009
© the artists

Reproduction requests

Gallery location
Not on display

Artwork Details

Place/s of Execution
Waris District, West Papua

Accession Number
2009.41

Department
Pacific Art

This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Vizard Foundation

Physical description
Unlike Kwoma bark painting, which are painted on one side of the bark, these West Papuan bark sickness shields are made by tying or sawing two flat and pressed base portion of sago palm stem, forming a container used as storage for storing bush medicine. Both sides of the barks are painted with dots, lines and zoomorphic figures depicting 'spirit animals' which is believed to have brought sickness to the village. The shields are fastened to the walls of one of the houses in the village to ward off further dangerous attacks from sickness spirits.

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