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Objects from the Marind Anim people are not well represented in collections
of New Guinea objects. They inhabit a region at the eastern edge of southeast
Irian Jaya between that of the Asmat and Torres Strait regions. The Marind Anim
drum is a form mid-way between the designs of the Asmat, with rectangular handle
and that of the Papuan Gulf with deeply carved sinuous designs at the bell end.
Drums of the Gulf tend to to have "v"-shaped openings whereas those of the Marind-Anim
are circular and stand flat, when placed with tympanum upward. The style of
decoration of the present example consists of symmetrically oriented spiraling
forms organized in bands around the bell and sinuous linear elements along the
handle juncture. For related examples, cf. Parsons, 1975, Cat. 30 p 49; de Hoog
1958, cat. 39; Stephen Chauvet, cat 429 (identified as "Tugeri.). Stephen Chauvet
also reproduces a photograph of "Papou de Marind" preparing similar drums ""pour
une fete" (ibid cat. 430). See Parsons, Lee, 1975, Ritual Arts of the South
Seas: The Morton D. May Collection, St. Louis: The St. Louis Art Museum. de
Hoog, J. 1958, Nieuw-Guinea. Kunst Uit Prive Bezit. Delft: Etografisch Museum.
Stephen Chauvet, 1930, Les Artes Indigenes en Nouvelle-Guinee, Paris: Societe
d'Editions Geographiques, Maritimes et Coloniales. |
