Guardian Figure Totem, 28", From New Guinea

Description

Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern part of the world's second largest island and is prey to volcanic activity, earthquakes and tidal waves. Linguistically, it is the world's most diverse country, with more than 700 native tongues. Some 80% of Papua New Guinea's people live in rural areas with few or no facilities of modern life. Many tribes in the isolated mountainous interior have little contact with one another, let alone with the outside world, and live within a non-monetarised economy dependent on subsistence agriculture.
This guardian figure was found in New Guinea, and purchased from an estate.  It stands almost 30 inches tall.  It is a yam ancestor totem pole from the mid-Sepik River region of Papua New Guinea. Carved out of a solid wood by the Abelam people, who cultivated yams as their main crop, the pole features the classical form of the Yam ancestor in his frontal pose.  The wear and patina suggest that it was field collected from the native use. It is likely dated circa 1880-1900.