Yau people / Yam Cult Head (Yena) / 19th-early 20th century

Yau people
Yam Cult Head (Yena)
19th-early 20th century
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Creator Nationality: Asian; Pacific; Melanesian; New Guinean; Papuan
Creator Name-CRT: Yau people
Title: Yam Cult Head (Yena)
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 1800
Creation End Date: 1933
Creation Date: 19th-early 20th century
Object Type: Sculpture
Materials and Techniques: Wood, paint
Dimensions: H. 42 1/2 in. (108 cm)
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 1978.412.1699
Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Wallace K. Harrison Gift, 1974
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/
Context:

The Kwoma, Nukuma, Yau, and Yessan-Mayo are closely related peoples living in the hills north of the middle Sepik River in northern New Guinea. These groups share a unique art tradition associated with a religious cult centered on the cultivation of yams. A sequence of three rituals, called 'yena,' 'minja,' and 'nokwi,' each involving a different type of figure, is performed in honor of the yam harvest.

Carved wooden heads such as this one are created for yena, the first of these harvest rituals. With bulging eyes and pendulous noses, yena heads represent ancient and powerful spirits. During the ritual, village men assemble a pile of yams within the ceremonial house. The sticklike bases of the yena are inserted into the yam pile and the heads are decorated with brightly colored leaves, feathers, and other ornaments. The men then dance and sing to honor the yena spirits. At the conclusion of the ritual, the display is dismantled, the heads stored away, and preparations for the next ritual begun.

AMICA ID: MMA_.1978.412.1699
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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