Advanced Search
Canoe prow figure head (musumusu or nguzunguzu)
Probably New Georgia
Late 19th to early 20th century
Object Place: New Georgia, Solomon Islands
Medium/Technique
Wood, shell inlay
Dimensions
20.32 cm (8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of William E. and Bertha L. Teel
Accession Number1996.393
CollectionsAfrica and Oceania
ClassificationsWarfare, hunting, fishing
Small figures such as this one were tied above the waterline to the towering prows of large, plank canoes, used for warfare and fishing, which could accommodate over thirty men. The figures seem to have been associated with Kesoko, a beneficent spirit who warded off dangerous water spirits and approaching enemies. Shell inlay and incised lines on the faces reflect the designs men in the Solomon Islands painted on their faces with lime.
ProvenanceNovember 27, 1978, sold by Alain de Monbrison (dealer), Paris, to William and Bertha Teel, Marblehead, MA; 1996, partial gift of William and Bertha Teel to the MFA; 2014, acquired fully with the bequest of William Teel to the MFA. (Accession Dates: December 18, 1996 and February 26, 2014)